SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) will be the first carrier to depart from and arrive at Changi Airport's new Terminal 3 when the new facility opens on Jan 9.

At about 11.50am that day, said the airline in a statement, flight SQ 001 will be landing at Terminal 3.

Then an hour later at 12.50pm, SQ 318 - bound for London - will be the first flight to depart from the new terminal.

Check-in counters at Terminal 3 will operate from 9am on opening day.

With the Jan 9 opening of Changi Airport's third terminal, SIA's flights will depart from and arrive at both Terminals 2 and 3.

'Customers will enjoy the benefits of of having access to two world-class terminals - state-of-the-art facilities, modern design, thoughtful service and of course, more choice,' said SIA's senior vice-president of product and services, Mr Yap Kim Wah.

Terminal 2, for example, will service SIA's flights to and from Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and South-east Asia, while Terminal 3 will be home to flights to and from North America, most of Europe, North Asia and Australia and New Zealand.

To minimise confusion, SIA said the exact check-in terminal will be printed on all e-tickets and boarding passes.

Details on arrival terminals will also be available online at Changi Airport and Singapore Airlines websites two hours before a flight's estmated arrival time.