Line up for landing! Over 10 planes are 'running laps' in the sky over Taiwan

▲ A large number of queuing passengers flooded into Taoyuan Airport on the 29th. (Illustration / Photo by reporter Chen Ruizhong)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Although the powerful Typhoon Dujuan's storm circle has moved away from Taiwan, due to the impact of the typhoon, many flights at Taoyuan Airport on the 28th were postponed to the 29th. Coupled with the fact that there is currently only one runway available for takeoffs and landings, from 4:30 a.m. on the 29th, Taoyuan Airport witnessed a busy scene of"crowds packed in the terminal and planes running laps in the air".

▲ On the 29th, many international flights had to circle multiple times over the waters off Taiwan waiting to land. (Photo / Screenshot fromflight tracking website Flightradar24)

According to real-time monitoring by flight tracking websiteFlightradar24, throughout the 29th, the runways at Taoyuan Airport were constantly packed with planes waiting in line to take off. Also, due to there being only one runway, many returning flights had to keep circling in the air over the waters off Taiwan, waiting to land. For example, Hong Kong Airlines flight HX264 circled 5 or 6 times before landing successfully, but it was still delayed by about 4 hours compared to the scheduled arrival time.

▲ The apron and runways at Taoyuan Airport were packed all day on the 29th with planes waiting to take off. (Photo / Screenshot from flight tracking website Flightradar24)

The sight of the Taoyuan Airport apron and runways packed with planes also led netizens to joke: "Is Taoyuan Airport playing Snake?" and "Taoyuan Airport has turned into a supermarket!" But many people are also worried about whether their flights can take off smoothly.

Currently, the hourly flight limit at Taoyuan International Airport is 30 flights. To handle passenger evacuation after the typhoon, from 8 a.m. on the 29th for 20 consecutive hours, the hourly number has consistently reached or exceeded the rated 30 flights, operating at maximum capacity to transport as many passengers as possible for the flights canceled due to the typhoon. Taoyuan International Airport urges passengers to confirm the latest flight status with their airlines before departure to avoid affecting their travel plans.