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SINGAPORE: Changi Airport's new Terminal 3 opens for flight operations on the 9th of January next year.
Transport Minister Raymond Lim announced this after a tour of the place, which he said will bring Singapore closer to its vision of being a regional air hub.
The S$1.75 billion terminal can handle 22 million passengers a year, bringing the airport's annual total capacity to 70 million passengers.
It is a terminal that has been seven years in the making.
And one of the first things visitors will notice is the wide use of glass and big, transparent spaces that show off all the action.
One of the unique features of Terminal 3 is the roof, which has been designed to let in natural light.
There are over 900 skylights in the roof itself which also keeps out the heat.
A five-metre high "Green Wall" of climbing plants gives the place a tropical touch.
But while the interior is ready, much work remains to be done in the eight months before its opening.
"Going forward we will have integrated testing of all the systems coming together - be it flight information, baggage and so on and so forth. We also have trial flights that are planned, involving different agencies, that systems are all go before T3 opens next year.
"There will also be a public education process where Public Transport Operators and members of the public come to T3," says Koh Ming Sue, Assistant Director, Development & Engineering, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.
The Open House is scheduled for November and December to coincide with the year-end school holidays.
On the business front, there will be over 100 retail and over 30 food & beverage outlets.
And while there are similarities to Terminals 1 and 2, the new place will have much more automation, like a fast moving baggage tunnel allowing passengers and their luggage to make it to connecting flights between any terminal within 60 minutes; more thumb print recognition immigration clearances; and a people mover system connecting all three terminals.
And in keeping with the times, eight out of the 28 new aerobridge gates will be able to handle the new jumbo A380 planes. - CNA/yy
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