11SKIES airport complex a bridgehead to GBA, says Cheng

11SKIES, which will be Hong Kong's largest hub for retail, dining and entertainment and next to the airport, will be a bridgehead for the Greater Bay Area when it opens in July, New World chief executive Adrian Cheng Chi-kong said.

For it will be the first stop for travelers to the SAR from the bay area.

Speaking at the airport's SKYCITY forum attended by some 10,000 people online and in-person yesterday, Cheng believes that as long as quarantine-free travel resumes the new facilities at Chek Lap Kok will attract more visitors and provide momentum for economic recovery.

Located next to Hong Kong International Airport and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, 11SKIES is seen as a "super gateway" from the world at large along with the Greater Bay Area. For it brings together air plus land links via the MTR and road transport.

The bridge also connects to Macau and the Guangdong cities of Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Jiangmen and Foshan.

So the project draws directly from a population of 46 million, including Hong Kong, within a 1.5-hour "living circle."

It is also attractive as it is close to tourist attractions on Lantau, including the Big Buddha and Ngong Ping 360 along with Hong Kong Disneyland.

The landmark 11SKIES, which constitutes a HK$20-billion investment, is an integral part of the SKYCITY project by New World Development.

It occupies 3.8 million square feet and combines three grade A office towers, an indoor entertainment hub and over 800 retail and dining facilities.

Scheduled to be opened in phases from 2023 to 2027, SKYCITY will stand as one of the largest commercial developments in Hong Kong and will provide a maximum gross floor area of about 3.77 million square feet.

Airport Authority chief executive officer Fred Lam Tin-fuk believes Hong Kong International Airport will see 120 million passengers by 2035, while its cargo capacity will reach more than none million tonnes.

And the three-runway system with other major developments, he added, will help in "transforming the airport into a destination in itself."

Lam said that Asia-World Expo, which will be an integral part of SKYCITY, is set to develop into a premier entertainment landmark and a platform for global businesses to promote products and services to the mainland market.

Irene Chan Fong-ying, chief executive of AsiaWorld-Expo, said the first phase of the facility will have upgraded facilities and smart sanitizing equipment such as UV lights costing HK$600 million while a new 30,000 square meter second phase will have 20,000 seats.

Gianna Hsu Wong Mei-lun, who chairs the Travel Industry Council, said the new developments showed that Hong Kong is ready to embrace future tourism opportunities and help move the post-Covid tourism industry to a higher plane.

She also hoped that Hong Kong would continue to consolidate and enhance its status as an international aviation hub and that visits to SKYCITY would become an integral part of visitors' experiences.