Summary
There are many cafes near Taoyuan Airport that offer the opportunity to watch planes take off and land up close. One of them is Miracle Coffee, located next to the north runway of Taoyuan Airport. If you want to go to Taoyuan to take pictures of planes, you can simply enjoy a whole day with a low minimum consumption, capturing and shooting the planes up close. Ever since V Air announced that it will suspend operations for a year starting in October, I have been hoping to have the chance to capture the last moments of Taiwan’s first domestic low-cost carrier, the “V Bear” logo of V Air, which represents youth and vitality. Taking advantage of the fact that the peripheral circulation of Typhoon Megi has not yet affected Taiwan, I chose Miracle Coffee, which is close to the north runway, to enjoy a leisurely afternoon tea and take close-up photos of planes.
▼ Miracle Coffee is a cafe located below an auto repair shop, and its appearance is not particularly eye-catching.
▼ If you come in the afternoon on a holiday, you will find many people who come to watch or take pictures of planes.
▼ The minimum consumption per person is 100 yuan, and there are also some snacks in addition to drinks.
Since the purpose of this shoot was V Air, I went to this location after dining. Since the distance from here to the north runway is not far, a focal length of 200mm or more is sufficient for equipment usage (of course, many photography enthusiasts still prepare cannons with focal lengths exceeding 500mm XD).
▼ As soon as I arrived, I captured the landing of Korean Air (KE-5695) and the departure of Busan Air (BX-794) from the distant south runway.
▼ Korean Air (KE-692), A330 flying to Incheon Airport.
▼ China Airlines (CI-703), registration number B-18311, A330-300. It has a Skyteam alliance livery and is flying to Manila.
▼ Next is the departure of China Airlines (CI-835), also with a Skyteam alliance livery, flying to Bangkok on a B747-400.
▼ Almost all the planes on the north runway are China Airlines. The scene of a B737-800 bound for Surabaya taking off and an A330-300 plane that has just landed brushing past each other.
▼ The Xiamen Airlines A330-343 (B-22103) plane that just arrived from Osaka. Perhaps we won’t see Xiamen Airlines’ dual-aisle planes anymore in the future.
▼ Singapore Airlines A330 plane flying to Singapore. Honestly, I think Singapore Airlines’ livery is quite ordinary.
▼ China Airlines’ B747 cargo plane. I saw quite a few of them in the afternoon.
▼ China Airlines B-18301 plane, the first A330-300 plane purchased by China Airlines, flying to Ho Chi Minh City.
▼ China Airlines B-18002, flying to Guangzhou on a B777-300ER plane. Honestly, I think it’s hard to tell the difference between a B777 and an A330 at first glance XD.
▼ Three China Airlines planes in a row (don’t they all look the same!!!!), flying to Hong Kong on an A340-300 plane.
▼ China Airlines’ Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan livery A330-300 plane with registration number B-18361, which just arrived from Osaka.
▼ Finally, after waiting for a long time, I finally captured the highlight of the day, V Air!!!! An A320-232 plane with registration number B-22316, flying to Fukuoka.
▼ One more shot. I really like the clean and lively livery of V Air. I hope to have the chance to see you soaring in the sky again.
▼ China Airlines’ B747-400 plane flying to Osaka, B-18203. The presence of the “Queen of the Skies” is truly extraordinary!
▼ China Southern Airlines A330 plane (not something many photographers want to shoot XD).
▼ For some reason, the Cathay Pacific Airways A330-300 plane flying to Hong Kong changed from the south runway to the north runway.
▼ China Airlines’ new generation “Blue Whale” plane (registration number B-18007, B777-300ER) that just arrived from Hanoi.
▼ China Airlines’ Blue Whale is the first Boeing aircraft with a co-branded livery with an airline.
▼ Also due to the south runway, the EVA Air A321-200 plane flying to Macau changed to the north runway.
▼ The China Airlines A321-200 plane (registration number B-16221) that flew from Zhengzhou to Taoyuan, also changed to the north runway. It features the new generation China Airlines livery.
▼ The Jetstar Airways A320 plane flying to Singapore, with a metallic livery that looks quite striking.
▼ The Air China A330 plane flying to Shanghai, with a rather ordinary livery.
▼ China Airlines’ A330-300 plane with an indigenous livery, flying to Wuhan.
▼ Korean Air, B767, with a colorful tail livery.
▼ Malaysia Airlines B737 flying to Kuala Lumpur, which took off nearly half an hour late that day.
▼ Taiwan Tigerair A320-232 plane that was supposed to land on the south runway, flying from Zhangjiajie to Taiwan; compared to the China Airlines B777 behind it, it looks quite small.
▼ My personal favorite livery, the Japan Airlines B737-800, flying to Nagoya.
▼ The Mandarin Airlines A321 plane flying to Tokyo, which has been in service for 18 years since 1998.
▼ China Eastern Airlines A330 plane, with a unique livery from Xinhua Net.
▼ The Scoot B787-900 plane that was supposed to take off from the south runway to Singapore, but for some reason, the time it took to tow and take off was slower that day.
▼ The Emirates A380 plane that is about to land on the south runway. Even though it’s a bit far, you can still see the imposing figure of this giant.
▼ China Airlines’ B777-300ER plane flying to Beijing. You can really see China Airlines’ frequent takeoffs and landings on the north runway.
▼ Just arrived and now preparing to fly back to Kuala Lumpur, the AirAsia X A330-300 plane, with a very vibrant livery.
▼ The KLM Royal Dutch Airlines B777 flying to Manila, taking off in the middle of the runway (because there were fewer passengers?)
▼ The blue-dominated plane blends into the blue sky after takeoff.
▼ Finally, ending with a FedEx B777 cargo plane.
Spending nearly 3 hours taking pictures of planes, I can only say that taking pictures of planes is really relaxing. Watching planes take off and land gives a soothing feeling. Next time, if I have the chance, I will definitely come here and spend an afternoon.
