I flew into the new (1 week old) T3 terminal yesterday and took some photos before the building becomes too dog-eared.  It’s a beautiful structure with some unique repeating patterns.  I watched this terminal being built over the last few years and was pretty excited about getting inside to see the results.  I wasn’t disappointed.

This is the first airport by Italian architects Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, who used a manta ray as the basis for the overall shape.  It’s the largest single building in Shenzhen and is 58% bigger than the old terminal(s) with a total of 63 gates.  It only took 3 years to build this monster, which is an incredible feat.

The best part of my visit to this landmark terminal was my luggage arrived.  When the new Hong Kong airport opened in 1997 it took them months to get the baggage sorting machinery to deliver luggage accurately.  It’s the small things that count for a traveler.