Taoyuan International Airport has begun returning to normal after flooding brought by a powerful thunderstorm on Thursday disrupted flights and caused a power outage.
CEO of the Taoyuan International Airport Corporation Fei Hourng-jiun said Saturday that more than 1000 pieces of luggage have been returned to their owners and that the on-time departure rate had returned to 92% as of Saturday morning. Power is back on in many parts of the airport as work to dry, clean, and inspect electrical equipment continues. However, air conditioning has not yet been completely restored.
Thursday’s storm disrupted more than 200 flights, affecting 30,000 passengers. Flood waters inundated parts of the airport’s terminals and damaged electrical equipment.
Fei said that the flooding has served as a big lesson to the airport’s management, and he outlined steps the airport is taking to prevent flooding in the future. He said the airport has prepared 2000 sandbags and will inspect flood gates at the airport. Fei also said that the airport has installed new emergency lighting to avoid blackouts in the future.
Fei said that the airport conducts safety drills and typhoon drills, but has never carried out a flash flood drill before.
He said that an engineering committee will determine the cause of the flooding, whether it was the result of a nearby river overflowing its banks or problems with the airport’s design. He said that the committee will also determine what improvements the airport should make to protect against flooding.