The Air Traffic Service (ATS) system plays a critical and active role in civil aviation operations, forming an essential part of the overall air transport system. Its primary purpose is to ensure the safety and efficiency of air transportation. The key objectives of the ATS system are:

• Prevent collisions between aircraft and between aircraft and obstacles on the ground.
• Maintain orderly and smooth air traffic flow.
• Provide aircraft with information and advice necessary for safe and efficient flight.
• Notify relevant authorities and assist with search and rescue operations when needed.

This project is part of the Civil Aeronautics Administration’s (CAA) Taipei Flight Information Region Communication, Navigation, Surveillance, and Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) Development and Construction Plan, specifically under the ATM System Construction Subproject for the consolidation and construction of air traffic control centers.

To ensure that the CNS/ATM plan meets operational requirements, accommodates projected air traffic growth through 2026, and complies with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, the original plan proposed replacing the Western ATC system and upgrading the Eastern ATC system to ensure connectivity with the Western system.

After careful assessment of potential risks, system upgrade costs, and the human resource requirements for maintaining two separate ATC systems, the CAA decided to adjust the plan to construct only the Northern and Southern ATCCs, canceling the Eastern ATCC construction. The Hualien and Taitung approach control towers, originally part of the Eastern ATCC, will be integrated into the Northern and Southern ATCCs, with corresponding airspace adjustments.

The new Northern and Southern ATCCs will each feature mutually redundant ATM systems under centralized monitoring, improving operational efficiency and system maintenance. As air transport is a crucial industry for an island nation and an important channel for international exchange, the project also emphasizes a cultural and artistic dimension in the planning of the ATCC spaces. Artworks to be installed in these facilities are expected to reflect the professional image of flight services while conveying themes of “lightness,” “motion,” and “speed”:

• Lightness: Expressing the visual and tactile qualities of flight, including weightlessness and floating.
• Motion: Highlighting the directional and purposeful movement inherent in flight, distinct from simple hovering.
• Speed: Representing the rapid pace of modern air transport, reshaping perceptions of time and space, and evoking a contemporary sensory experience.