New World Development will hand 11 SKIES and related assets to the Airport Authority on 1 April 2027 after the project’s contractual arrangements are ended early. The agreement involves about HK$3.3 billion, including HK$2.3 billion in cash compensation and up to HK$1.05 billion in engineering and service costs. The assets will be transferred without charge, while the Airport Authority’s subsidiary IEC Holdings Limited takes responsibility for their future development.
The authority plans to rename the project and shift it away from its previous emphasis on offices, retail and dining. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said it should become a high-end tourism and experiential destination serving local residents, visitors and transit passengers as part of the wider airport-city strategy.
Cissy Chan Ching-sze, the Airport Authority’s executive director (commercial) and chief executive of IEC Holdings, said the interior would need limited alteration because it is largely ready, although the purple exterior could be changed. The proposed replacement includes entertainment for different age groups, varied dining, pet-friendly facilities and an indoor go-karting experience. An indoor fresh-food market modelled on Japan’s Tsukiji concept is also under study. Separately, wider SKYTOPIA plans include water-based activities, a 12,000-square-metre plaza and a 750-metre waterfront promenade.
The plans are intended to work alongside Terminal 2, expected to open by the end of 2027, and the second phase of AsiaWorld-Expo, due for completion in 2028. The redeveloped project is expected to begin operating in 2028. A driverless shuttle linking the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge artificial island port with the airport city is expected to begin commercial operation by late 2026 or early 2027. Whether transit passengers could reach the destination without passing through immigration remains under study.
HK01 reported that only two food outlets were operating in the shopping centre during a May site visit. The tenant mix, facilities and operating model for the replacement destination have yet to be settled.
The Airport Authority says it will limit its own investment mainly to land formation and basic infrastructure such as water, electricity and roads. It hopes to attract private funding for facilities including an art-storage project and a yacht harbour.