While most international traffic has moved to the big Taoyuan International Airport since its opening in 1979, the older, smaller Songshan Airport still sees a sizeable amount of international passenger flights, mostly across the Taiwan Strait to Mainland China and Hong Kong, but also northward to Seoul and Tokyo. Due to its location in the heart of Downtown Taipei, Songshan is extremely popular with business travelers, particularly ones with hard-and-fast schedules to meet. This has allowed Songshan to remain relevant into the current era, even in the face of expansions at Taoyuan, improved rail connectivity from the newer airport to the city, and perennial proposals to close and redevelop the airport. I chose to fly into Songshan from Haneda, not only because I wanted to fly into Taipei’s “other” airport, but also because I wanted to do a regional flight with Japan Airlines’s 787-8, which connects Songshan and Haneda twice daily. This turned out to be a very fun flight and I hope y’all enjoy the trip report!
Server: Solo
Airline: Japan Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
Origin: Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan (HND)
Destination: Taipei Songshan Airport, Taipei, Taiwan (TSA)
Flight Number: JL97
Route: RJTT-RCSS
Seat: 8K (Business)
Time En Route: 3 Hours 25 Minutes
Standing in line to board via airstair on the Terminal 3 apron at Haneda. When gate space is restricted, aircraft operating short to medium-haul international flights will occasionally board and disembark at the remote stands on the ramp if waiting for a gate isn’t an option. Due to the size of the 787, passengers for our flight are boarding using airstairs located at the front and rear of the aircraft in order to speed the process along.
Pushing back from the stand as the port engine rumbles to life. We’re flying in business class on one of JAL’s 206-seat international-configured 787-8s today for the first time. While the seats are not completey lie-flat like on the 186-seaters sent to Europe and North America, they’re still quite comfortable, being pairs of well-padded recliners arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration, similar to how business classes around the world used to be before the advent of the individual suite.
We’ve got a longer than usual taxi this morning as we roll past the JAL Technical Center, which has only a few company aircraft on it at the moment. Short and medium-haul flights like ours will occasionally use Runway 05/23 for departures if the winds allow it, freeing up the main two runways for handling intercontinental arrivals and departures.
Got a loud takeoff this morning as we leap off of Runway 05 into the air over Tokyo Bay. Widebody takeoffs from this shorter runway are almost invariably loud and powerful, Due to needing to get airborne in a hurry. Below us, Tokyo Bay is almost as busy as the Tokyo skies are today, with the water criss-crossed by the wakes of ferries, cargo ships, and fishing vessels.
Climbing off the coast of Shizuoka Prefecture as Mount Fuji, the quintessential Japanese mountain, comes into view. We’re estimated to have a flight time of just under three and a half hours, which’ll be perfect to get a feel for this aircraft. Looks like it’s a beautiful day to go flying!
In cruise at 39,000 feet, east of Kyushu. Shortly after we leveled off, we were served a delicious late breakfast/early lunch of simmered pork with soy starchy sauce with a starter of Japanese pickles and a side of steamed rice. After this meal, we can confirm that the dining on international flights within Asia is at the same level as the premium-heavy long-hauls to North America. Once we’re finished, we’ll be picking up where we left off with Jurassic World yesterday.
Descending over the hills surrounding Taipei on our downwind leg into the airport. It’s amazing just how much of Taipei is concentrated within the valley and along the coast, in contrast to the urban sprawl of, say, a Los Angeles or Dallas that would have long ago spread over the hills. In the highlands outside the cities, the Taiwan of 2026 is not all that different from the Taiwan of 1926. It’s a reminder of how much of Taiwan’s economy is based on the ocean, with shipping giant Evergreen International headquartered only a few blocks away from Songshan Airport in Downtown Taipei.
Landing at Songshan on Runway 10 with Terminal 1 in the background and the hills surrounding Taipei peeking above it. Despite the short runway length, our flight crew slows us down with aplomb, allowing us for a moderate roll to exit at the far end of the runway following a swift deceleration. We even arrived early, touching down after three hours and 25 minutes in the air instead of the predicted three and a half-hour en route time.
Despite being overshadowed by Taoyuan International Airport, Songshan remains very busy these days. As if to illustrate that fact, no sooner have we exited the runway than a China Airlines 737-800 operating for Mandarin Airlines floats in over the approach lights as AE212 from Fuzhou. At the opposite end of the runway, a UNI Air ATR-72-600 is waiting to depart to Penghu, on an island west of the main one.
Disembarked from our aircraft at Terminal 1, which handles the majority of flights out of Taipei-Songshan. We had a very enjoyable flight on this particular 787-8, with the angled-flat seats being comfortable, the dining being delicious, the amenities being above board for what we’d expect on a relatively short flight, and the service was typically excellent. These 206-seat 787s are a definite airplane to return to, and due to its convenient location, Songshan will definitely in the cards in the future!