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Scarlet Ma

Asia's largest 4D cinema will be one of the anchor attractions at Chek Lap Kok's new transport, business and entertainment hub

THE HONG KONG International Airport is celebrating its eighth anniversary and will significantly expand later this year with the opening of SkyPlaza, which will incorporate a second passenger terminal and a coach station for cross-border routes.

SkyPlaza is the centrepiece of the airport's SkyCity development and a part of the first phase plan, which also incorporates AsiaWorld-Expo (opened in December), SkyPier and a nine-hole golf course. Future phases will consist of a business park, hotels, and leisure and entertainment facilities.

SkyPlaza is a transport, business and entertainment hub. It extends from the passenger terminal building and connects to the Airport Express railway station. It is expected to entertain 40 million passengers, 13 million meeters and greeters, 1.5 million exhibition visitors, 1.5 million SkyPier passengers and more than 300,000 nearby residents.

Hans Bakker, commercial director at Airport Authority Hong Kong,  said SkyPlaza would be a gateway development in more ways than one.

'SkyPlaza will be the 'door' to SkyCity, a major commercial development planned for the northeast area of the airport,' Mr Bakker said.

'It will integrate multiple forms of transport and cater for a wide range of users from Hong Kong and abroad. SkyPlaza will be a dynamic place that attracts more value-added activities to Hong Kong, providing better service to business and leisure travellers.

'This is a further illustration that Hong Kong International Airport is more than an airport and offers a competitive edge over other airports in the region,' he said.

One of the anchor attractions of SkyPlaza will be a four-dimensional (4D) cinema, said to be Asia's largest. It is a joint project by the Airport Authority, Multiplex Cinema and

SimEx-Iworks. The 4D Extreme Screen is 19.5 metres wide and 13.4 metres high.

'This attraction will provide an entertainment venue for many of our transfer passengers with a long dwelling time and for leisure visitors using our multimodal transport facilities.

'This 330-seat cinema venue can be used to complement the new exhibition venture during its peak season and can also be used by many airport partners.'

Multiplex Cinema general manager Grace Wong said the 4D Extreme Screen would use the latest F/X special visual and audio effects to produce three-dimensional images while simultaneously allowing the audience to experience sensory thrills, such as wading through drifting snow, splashing in water and breathing in scents.

'Cinematic experience has begun to evolve to a new dimension, exhibited by exotic theme park attractions such as Terminator 2 in 3D and Spiderman and Shrek in 4D at Universal Studio. Given sophisticated digital systems and film technologies, we would like to take the challenge and be the pioneer to enter into a new dimension of 4D,' she said.

The new cinema can screen 2D, 3D and 4D films in 35mm and 70mm formats. It also has large-scale conference facilities.

Other entertainment concepts include the Aviation Discovery Centre,   which simulates landing at Kai Tak behind a flight cockpit; the Edutainment Zone, which pays homage to Bruce Lee, and Sports and Health, which offers virtual reality games ranging from golf and football to white water rafting.

Another first for SkyPlaza is the Travelex Finance and Travel Service Centre, which provides travel planning, insurance and money exchange in one location.

The concept grew out of an ACNielsen survey which showed that financial and travel services topped the list of services people wanted in SkyPlaza.

Travelex Asia head of retail Claudia Cheung  said: 'The centre is unprecedented in its concept and has not been executed elsewhere in any of our bureaus in 104 airports around the world.

'We feel that SkyPlaza, given its very unique positioning, is a one of a kind that implements this integrated financial and travel services concept.'

The centre will have video conference kiosks through which customers can talk to qualified agents from AIU  to buy insurance products.

Travelex is also working with the Airport Authority to promote tours for north Lantau sightseeing and SkyPlaza shopping, dining and entertainment for transit passengers before their arrival at the airport.

SkyPlaza will have a Gourmet Garden comprising 23 restaurants - many of them new outlets unique to the airport.

Select Service Partner Hong Kong general manager Eddie Liu Ming-sang said the Airport Authority was strict in choosing the right catering units for SkyPlaza.

'The [Airport Authority] wanted to introduce new food concepts. We presented more than 20 proposals and five were approved,' Mr Liu said.

Select Service Partner has 19 catering units in the Passenger Terminal Building, which account for 40 per cent of the airport's catering services.

The five outlets for SkyPlaza include award-winning New York-style pizza house Famous Famiglia's first outlet in Hong Kong, Tian Xia Dumplings (northern Chinese dumplings), Green Cottage (Vietnamese cuisine), Heineken Bar which will be the only bar in SkyPlaza, and a Burger King.

'Lantau is fast developing into a tourist area. We have confidence in the Airport Authority that SkyPlaza can draw even more tourists. Tsing Yi and Tung Chung residents will also have a new mall nearby where they can spend at least half a day,' Mr Liu said.

SkyPlaza will also have two office towers with a total floor space of 30,000 square metres, to be developed in two phases.

Grade-A office space will be added to the Airport Authority headquarters and there will be space for airlines and airport-related businesses, and firms needing close access to the Pearl River Delta and the airport.



SkyPlaza the gateway to another dimension