The opening of Singapore's much-awaited airport expansion, called the Jewel Changi Airport, has finally been revealed. According to the Changi Airport Group (CAG), they will be opening the doors of the new facility to the world on April 17 this year. The announcement was made by the Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min during the recent meeting on the ministry's budget.
Prior to the grand opening, the airport will be open for public preview exclusively to Singaporean citizens. The airport's public preview will be held from April 11 up to April 16. Only 500,000 slots will be available and each person who registers on the company's website, Jewelpreview.com, will only be allowed to register up to four other companions.
The facility, which contains around 280 shops, food outlets, and beverage kiosks, will be mostly operational for the preview. Visitors of the 10-story development will be able to shop and eat at the venue, which will reportedly be 90 percent open.
According to the airport's operators, only a 14,000-square meter section of the facility will be closed to the public. The facility, called the Canopy Park, is located at the top floor of the Jewel Changi Airport. The park, which is the size of more than 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools, is designed to be a recreational area with lush greenery, a 50-meter long suspended bridge, and glass flooring. Children will also soon be able to frolic around the facility's play attractions, which include slides, playgrounds, and mazes. The exact opening date of the Canopy Park hasn't yet been revealed, but it has been mentioned that it will be sometime in the middle of the year.
Aside from its shops and dining outlets, the Jewel Changi Airport will have numerous aviation facilities. This will include newly integrated ticketing kiosks and baggage service counters. The dome-shaped structure, made of steel and glass, is directly connected to the T1 terminal. It also has access to the T2 and T3 terminals via linkways and walkway escalators.
In line with Singapore's "Garden City" theme, the airport boasts over 2,500 trees and 100,000 plant varieties. The facility, which was designed by Marina Bay Sands architect Moshe Safdie, will also feature the world's tallest indoor waterfall with a 40-meter high Rain Vortex.
With the facility now nearly completed, work will reportedly already begin on other structures within Changi. Future projects will include the construction of the T5 terminal in Changi East. Work will also begin on renovations and upgrades to the T2 terminal, which will be upgraded with automated check-in facilities, automatic immigration gates, and biometric baggage drops.
