Kaohsiung International Airport Research Articles

Community Innovation and Regional Sustainability: A Case Study of Environmental Health Education in Siaogang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University

Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Hospital is located in southern Kaohsiung City, a major nexus of land, sea, and air transportation. Thus, the hospital is on the frontlines of strengthening Kaohsiung International Airport's epidemic prevention measures and preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other epidemic viruses to Taiwan from other countries. Kaohsiung Medical University integrates on-campus academic research, teaching services, and medical institution resources and has long promoted community care plans in conjunction with the public sector. A disused public sector space repurposed by the university into a distinctive day care center is being further used as a service-learning platform linking medical education to communities, allowing university students to enter the community and apply what they have learned to improve quality of life, community health, and well-being. "Happy Kaohsiung Healthy City-Siaogang District Environmental Education and Health Promotion Sustainable Development Plan", which responds to the issues and needs of air pollution and health promotion in the city's Siaogang District, designates Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Hospital as the core base of local practice, connecting multidisciplinary schools and units as well as cross-regional resources to promote practical programs such as air quality talent education, environmental testing and research, campus health education and publicity, air pollution syllabus, and community care and care, fulfilling the university's social responsibilities.

Construction of Optimal Management Strategies on Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction for Kaohsiung International Airport

Energy saving and carbon reduction (ES & CR) has become global issues. All governments and private industries work hard together to make great efforts on ES & CR. The aviation industry that bleeds CO2 to the atmosphere directly is an important one of the industries. The airport is one of the key parts of airway transportation, because they caused most of energy consumption, that they become the one of key factors on ES & CR. In this study, the SWOT analysis, TOWS matrix cross-analysis and expert interview were used to analyze the key factors of management strategies of ES & CR in the case study of Kaohsiung International Airport (KIA). The results showed that four strategies of SO, ST, WO and WT were proposed firstly. Then, four strategic aspects with sixteen strategic executions were established through expert interview. It can not only provide the management strategies for the international airport in response to international competitive environment, but also can achieve the sustainable development.

Risk factors associated with flying in adverse weather: From the passengers' point of view

Risk factors on the demand side of aviation safety are rarely addressed as the focus of research is most often placed on the supply side of aviation service. Even though airlines have the prerogative to cancel flights in the face of adverse weather, stranded passengers have to be reckoned with in the event of cancellation. Passengers' awareness of the risks associated with flying in adverse weather may help mitigate the confrontation as well as induce passengers to take the lead in adopting preventive measures. The aim of this article is to study the attitudes air travelers say they have towards flying in adverse weather, as well as risk factors regarding cancellation of trips in adverse weather. A conceptual framework is presented which outlines the links between risk factors and preventive measures. Data generated from a quantitative survey of 1145 air travelers, conducted in July 2015 at Taiwan's Kaohsiung International Airport, is used to examine this framework using correlation analysis and one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA). The factors of trust, risk perception and domestic destination are found to be positively related to passengers' stated attitude toward taking preventive measures. Income, purpose of the trip and direct experience generate ambiguous results. The outcome also suggests the following paradox: while pilots make the final decision regarding aviation safety in adverse weather, they appear to enjoy the lowest level of passenger trust.

Airline choice by passengers from Taiwan and China: A case study of outgoing passengers from Kaohsiung International Airport

Understanding what factors passengers consider when selecting an airline is critical, as airlines can utilize this information in market segmentation and marketing strategies. However, few studies have explored how passenger demographics and the nationality/type of carrier (full service or low-cost; regional or international) affect the choice factors of passengers when selecting airlines. The main objective of this study was to explore the airline choice factors considered by passengers, compare the choices of passengers with different demographics, and analyze which factors are emphasized by passengers from Taiwan and China when selecting airlines. We conducted a questionnaire survey of outgoing passengers at Kaohsiung International Airport in relation to 22 factors underlying their choice of airline. Using factor analysis, we identified the five factors: ground services, convenience, in-flight services, price, and travel availability. We then utilized cluster analysis to identify four groups, each concerned with price, comfort, convenience, and ground services, respectively. Nationality, age, income, flying frequency, and purpose of travel lead to differences in deciding which factors were considered by cross-strait passengers. Passengers of different nationalities concerned with different factors when selecting airlines. Our findings can add to the completeness of existing research as well as provide airlines with reference in developing marketing strategies for different customer groups.

Evaluation of airport conditions to attract foreign low cost carriers: A case study of Taiwan

Low cost operation models are developing rapidly in the airline industry. However, Taiwan had no national low cost carriers (LCCs) until 2014, although the first foreign LCC began operating in Taiwan in 2004. Currently, most foreign LCCs operate at the Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), which is a primary gateway airport in Taiwan and handles a large number of passengers. This study aims to explore the determinants, beyond demand, that influence the airport choice of foreign LCCs. A hierarchical framework is applied to examine experts' opinions with a rank pair-wise comparison (RPC) approach. A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) is used to evaluate the relative weights of all factors and this finds that the airport authority's promotion policy is the key factor. Based on an evaluation of three potential airports in Taiwan (TPE), Taipei Songshan Airport (TSA) and Kaohsiung International Airport (KHH), the airports' individual strengths and weaknesses can be easily distinguished. TPE remains the most contestable airport to attract foreign LCCs because of its corporatized operations.

Enhancing Airport Service Quality: A Case Study of Kaohsiung International Airport

Passenger traffic at Kaohsiung International Airport in Taiwan has seen a steady decline in the past few years due to several effects, including the establishment of the Taiwan High Speed Rail, and industry moving abroad. Because economic conditions have improved to some degree, and the Taiwanese government has permitted Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan and has allowed cross-strait direct flights, passengers are increasing. Therefore, the airport's priority should be promoting its service quality and environment. This study analyzed the importance and satisfaction of domestic and international tourists using questionnaires, and further applied an importance-performance analysis (IPA) to assess priority services that need improvement and to provide appropriate advice. The results showed that the priority services that must be improved comprise ground transportation, complaint handling, health center, speed of baggage claim, and comfort of the terminal.

Macroscopic and microscopic evaluation of surface friction of airport pavements

Rubber deposits accumulated on the runway surface pose a distinct threat to the operational safety of aircraft during landings and take-offs in adverse weather. This paper is to evaluate the microscopic and macroscopic effect of rubber deposits on the friction characteristics of runway pavements. A concrete runway at Kaohsiung International Airport was chosen for friction and texture measurements on the pavement surface for analyses. This study comprised field testing and laboratory testing. The surface friction tester, the British Pendulum Test and the grease-patched method were regularly conducted on site for runway pavements over a 24-month period of time. An optical microscope and a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used for the microscopic evaluation of rubber deposits taken from runway pavements. Results indicated that runway friction characteristics changed over time primarily due to the buildup of rubber deposits. The accumulation of rubber filled the macrotexture of the pavement surface and caused loss of the skid-resistance of a runway. An increased macrotexture led to a rise in the friction value. The difference between friction values measured in the forward direction and those measured in the backward direction was significant. The directional distribution of rubber deposits as observed by SEM was shown to raise friction level.

Evaluating the quality of airport service using the fuzzy multi‐criteria decision‐making method: a case study of Taiwanese airports

AbstractIn today's highly competitive air transportation environment, the quality of airport service is an important issue. In this paper, we present a fuzzy multi‐criteria decision‐making (MCDM) method for the evaluation of the quality of airport service. The data are collected from the passengers who depart from two international airports in Taiwan. The fuzzy MCDM model is defuzzied using the inverse function arithmetic representation method. The results show that the average quality of the Taoyuan International Airport service is better than that of the Kaohsiung International Airport service. This paper also analyses the quality of airport service using the fuzzy expert system to improve the performance of airport service. The analysis results show that the Kaohsiung International Airport and the Taoyuan International Airports' improvement efforts should be concentrated on seven and five specific service items, respectively. The findings of this paper are to help the decision‐makers and the managers of airports improve the quality of airport service.

Imported Chikungunya Virus Strains, Taiwan, 2006–2009

Imported Chikungunya Virus Strains, Taiwan, 2006–2009

A stochastic cost efficiency analysis of international tourist hotels in Taiwan

The one-stage stochastic frontier approach (SFA) is used in this study to simultaneously estimate cost efficiency scores and factors of cost inefficiency for 66 international tourist hotels in Taiwan during 1997–2006. An SFA model with three outputs and three inputs is defined. The three outputs are room revenue, food and beverage revenue, and other operation revenue while the three inputs are price of labor, price of other operation, and price of food and beverage. This model also takes into account five environmental variables, including dummy variable of the hotels located in non-metropolitan area, dummy variable of chain hotels, the number of tourist guides, the minimum distance from each hotel to Taoyuan international airport and the minimum distance from each hotel to Kaohsiung international airport. Empirical results show that international tourist hotels in Taiwan are on average operating at 91.15% cost efficiency. All nominal variables are transformed into real variables in 1997 prices by GDP deflators. Chain systems, tourist guides, and international transportation can significantly improve the cost efficiency of international tourist hotels in Taiwan.

Applications of Geographic Information System in Airfield Infrastructure System Management and Maintenance

New geographic information system (GIS) applications in airfield infrastructure system management and maintenance are discussed. Aviation activity is steadily increasing, and U.S. airport facilities must provide higher service quality and must increase capacities to accommodate projected aviation growth. In response to the increasing requirements from passengers and airliners, efficiency is the most important factor in airport operations and airfield facilities maintenance. Airport authorities, particularly at large commercial airports, increasingly understand the benefits in using GIS-based programs to plan and manage their airport facilities. An integrated GIS system combined with Geographic Positioning Systems and personal digital assistants provides a powerful tool that helps airport operators and engineers improve regular airfield inspection, management, and reporting processes, resulting in a more efficient airport operation system. GIS applications associated with other tools are introduced, and airport personnel are given several easy-to-learn GIS approaches and techniques. This is intended to help airports improve current airfield facility inspection processes and maintenance mechanisms. An implementation plan achieved at Kaohsiung International Airport in Taiwan was used to demonstrate how an integrated GIS system can help airport operators and engineers receive real-time facilities data, evaluate deterioration rates, and make policy decisions on maintenance and rehabilitation within a short time. This implementation plan is designed on a step-by-step basis that allows airport personnel to easily follow and apply the system to airport practice. Another example carried out at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) in Utah was used to show GIS applications in facilitating skid resistance evaluation of runway surfaces. By adding projection data to the airport image, SLC airport maintenance crews can graphically evaluate friction capacities of Runway 16L-34R and investigate potential factors that result in a reduction of skid resistance. Up-to-date GIS application approaches are shown so that airport personnel may develop a suitable GIS system that enables airports to improve their operation systems and increase aviation safety.

Effect of Rubber Deposits on Runway Pavement Friction Characteristics

This purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of rubber deposits on pavement friction characteristics on the basis of macroscopic and microscopic measurements. Runway pavement sections at the Kaohsiung (Taiwan) International Airport were chosen for field and laboratory testing over a 16-month period. In the first step of the field testing, the monthly variation in friction was established by using the Saab surface friction tester (SFT) and British pendulum testing. In the second step, macro-texture measurements were made by the grease patch method. The last step of field testing was to take samples of rubber deposits for laboratory analyses by optical microscope and scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that rubber deposits had strong effects on runway surface friction. An aircraft landing appeared to result in an increase in the thickness of rubber deposits by approximately 0.05 μm. The microstructure of rubber deposits was shown to be accumulated by the directional distribution of multiple layers of polymer scale. The friction value measured in the backward direction was higher than that measured in the forward direction. The rate of decrease in the SFT friction value was found to be about 0.05 for an increase in rubber thickness of 0.1 mm.

Adverse Respiratory and Irritant Health Effects in Airport Workers in Taiwan

Airport workers are potentially exposed to aviation fuel or jet stream exhaust. The purpose of this study was to assess if there was an excess of adverse health outcomes among airport workers. Self-reported adverse chronic respiratory symptoms and acute irritative symptoms were assessed in a cross-sectional study among 106 airport workers (exposure group) and 305 terminal or office workers (control group) at the Kaohsiung International Airport (KIA), Taiwan. The prevalence rates for acute irritative symptoms were not significantly different between groups. A possible explanation may be that the concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that airport workers are exposed to is not sufficient to induce acute irritative symptoms, although this is not known for certain since data on the concentration of VOCs are lacking in this study. Chronic respiratory symptoms (cough and dyspnea), however, were significantly more common among the exposed group.