SINGAPORE - Changi Airport's Terminal 3 was officially opened on July 25, 2008 by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The terminal had started operating on Jan 9, 2008, when a Singapore Airlines flight from San Francisco touched down around noon to kick off operations at the terminal.

The launch of the $1.75 billion T3 also meant that Singapore Airlines operations would be split between T3 and T2.

The terminal boasts state-of-the-art facilities and luxurious lounges. Considered the 'green' terminal, it is equipped with more than 900 skylights with reflector panels, which allow natural daylight through but keep the tropical heat at bay.

It also has numerous gardens featuring more than 200 species of foliage, which are enough to cover 50 soccer fields. The centrepiece is a five-storey-high vertical garden, called the Green Wall, which is covered with more than 10,000 tropical plants.

Other amenities include a four-storey, or 12m tall, slide; the world's first butterfly garden in airport; a movie theatre; as well as more than 130 shopping and dining outlets.