The much-anticipated Jewel Changi Airport, with over 280 shops and food and beverage outlets, will open its doors to the world on April 17.

Before that, a public preview will be held from April 11 to 16 for Singapore residents eager to be among the first to check out the 10-storey development.

Registration will open online at jewelpreview.com at 6am next Tuesday, and each person can register for up to four people.

A total of about 500,000 free tickets will be available, Changi Airport Group (CAG) said in a statement following yesterday's announcement of Jewel's opening date by Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State for Transport, in Parliament.

The public preview, CAG said, will run in four three-hour time blocks from 10am to 10pm daily.

Visitors can shop and dine at more than 90 per cent of Jewel's stores that will be open.

Jewel, with its distinctive dome-shaped facade of glass and steel, is next to Terminal 1 and linked to T2 and T3 via air-conditioned linkways fitted with travelators. It is designed by architect Moshe Safdie, well known for designing the iconic Marina Bay Sands integrated resort.

In his latest effort, the highlights include a five-storey garden with 2,500 trees and 100,000 shrubs, with two walking trails. There is also the 40m-high Rain Vortex - the world's tallest indoor waterfall.

The only area that will be off limits, for now, is the 14,000 sq m Canopy Park - the size of 11 Olympic-size swimming pools - located on the top floor of Jewel Changi Airport. It will be opened to the public only in the middle of the year, CAG said, without giving a date.

The Canopy Park will feature a 50m-long suspended bridge with a glass floor that will allow visitors to look down at the greenery below; a 250m-long bouncing net, which at its highest point, will be suspended 8m - or three storeys - above ground; and play attractions, including mazes and slides.

When Jewel opens, passengers of 26 airlines, including Singapore Airlines, SilkAir and Scoot, will have access to an early check-in lounge.

Jewel includes integrated ticketing and baggage services for fly-cruise and fly-coach transfers, all of which will improve the travel experience, said Dr Lam during the debate on his ministry's budget.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin (Potong Pasir), chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, who had a preview of Jewel, said: "I must confess that before I visited the Jewel in early February this year, I had my doubts about the need for yet another shopping area at Changi Airport, given the shopping opportunities already available at the existing terminals.

"Instead, what I found was a beautifully designed garden concept recreational centre which complements the existing airport and exemplifies our position as a garden city. It will also create many job opportunities for Singaporeans."

Responding, Dr Lam said: "I am happy to hear from Mr Sitoh that he believes Jewel Changi Airport will be a delight for visitors and Singaporeans alike."

He added that plans are on track for other infrastructure developments at Changi, for example, the construction of T5 at Changi East.

Upgrading works on T2 will also start soon. It will be expanded and refreshed, with automated check-in kiosks, biometric-enabled bag drops and automated immigration gates, to offer passengers greater convenience from check-in to immigration to their flight, he said.