Airport Authority board member Perry Yiu said on Friday the 11 Skies project handover was good as it would not hold up efforts to develop large-scale entertainment facilities or overall development at the airport.

His remarks came after the authority announced this week it had reached an agreement with New World Development to terminate the sublease of the 11 Skies project being developed near the airport early.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, Yiu, who's also a lawmaker, said the agreement would enable repositioning of the 11 Skies project.

He added it would also enhance the synergy of Skytopia – a HK$100 billion mega project aimed at transforming the area around the airport into a world-class destination for tourism as well as business activities, linking the city and the Greater Bay Area – and accelerating its development.

“I think reaching this agreement is good for both sides,” Yiu said.

“Our Skytopia mega project at the airport is progressing at full speed, with many projects being pushed forward at the same time.

“If the 11 Skies project remains stuck at the negotiation stage, it would hold back our overall development.”

The 11 Skies project, Yiu said, is being developed with the aim of offering enhanced entertainment experiences in the future, instead of relying solely on retail and catering services.

He added that the project is expected to attract residents from nearby regions, such as the Greater Bay Area, as well as transit passengers.

“We can consider setting up a green channel for passengers waiting for flights at the airport’s restricted area so that they can come out quickly and conveniently to spend and enjoy entertainment – this guarantee is important,” he said.

“Even if they only have one hour to transit, they can still come out for a bowl of noodles and then return to the airport. With such efficiency, these transit passengers will naturally head out.”

Speaking on the same programme, Dennis Wong, head of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education’s department of hospitality, said footfall at 11 Skies had been low over the past few years as some construction work was still under way and travellers were not motivated to visit the site.

He suggested the authority should consider offering cheap parking facilities to attract visitors and drive spending.


Edited by Edmond Fong