T3 Changi Opens for Business

 Singapore Changi Airport opened its largest and most expensive airport terminal (T3 or Changi Terminal 3) on Wednesday 9 Jan 2008 (9-1-8 another auspicious date). The industry analysts say will reinforce the city-state's position as a regional aviation hub. A Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from San Francisco became the first to land at Terminal 3 about 12 pm Local Time ,0400 GMT, 7 Jan 2008. Passengers arrived to a traditional Chinese lion dance and a greeting from Singapore's Transport Minister Raymond Lim. Built at a cost of 1.75 billion Singapore Dollars (1.22 billion US Dollars), Terminal 3 offers 380,000 square metres (4.1 million square feet) of space in a seven-storey building. T3 (Terminal 3) will add 28 aerobridge gates to Changi, with up to eight designed to handle the world's biggest passenger plane, the superjumbo Airbus A380. Singapore Airlines (SIA) in October became the world's first airline to fly the double-decker A380 and is the first to operate from Terminal 3. Terminal 3 is home to more than 140 retail and food outlets, from hamburgers to high fashion. With T3, it will push Singapore further ahead of its rivals - Bangkok International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport.

Updated On: 08.08.11