Singapore Flyer

History

The Singapore Flyer was first conceived in the early 2000s by Patrick MacMahon of Melchers Project Management, a subsidiary of German company Melchers. Formal planning commenced in 2002. A new company, Singapore Flyer Pte Ltd, was formed as the developer, with Melchers Project Management holding a 75% stake, and the remainder held by Orient & Pacific Management.

The project was formally announced and endorsed on 27 June 2003 by the Singapore Tourism Board with the signing of a memorandum of understanding, formalising the understanding between the developer and tourism board with regard to the land-acquisition process.

Under this agreement, the tourism board was to purchase the plot of land in Marina Centre from the Singapore Land Authority, and lease it to Singapore Flyer Pte Ltd for 30 years with an option to extend the lease by another 15 years. The land was to be rent-free during the construction phase of the project. In July 2003, Jones Lang LaSalle was appointed as the real estate advisor. Takenaka and Mitsubishi were selected as the main contractors, and Arup as the structural engineer.

In April 2005, it was announced that the completion of the Flyer was delayed to the end of 2007, instead of the end of 2005, due to financing issues by the developer. In September, two German banks, Delbrueck Bethmann Maffei, the private banking arm of ABN Amro, and Bayerische Hypo- und Vereinsbank, funded $240 million resolving the financial issues faced by the developer.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held on 27 September with Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan as guest of honour. The spindle was fitted on 13 December 2006, and the outer rim was completed on 9 April 2007. Installation of the passenger capsules began on 3 August and was completed on 2 October.

In August 2007, Florian Bollen, Singapore Flyer Pte Ltd chairman, raised his stake in the Singapore Flyer from 60% to 90% through acquisition of Melchers Project Management's 30% stake. The deal was done via AAA Equity Holdings, a private investment vehicle headed by Bollen. Orient & Pacific Management, which spearheaded the project development management, owns the remaining 10%.

The Flyer opened in 2008. During Chinese New Year, corporate 'inaugural flights' were held from 11 to 13 February, tickets for which sold out for S$8,888, an auspicious number in Eastern culture. The first public rides were on Valentine's Day, 14 February, the soft launch on 1 March,

In end May 2013, the Flyer was placed under receivership after failing to repay financial obligations to its financing banks. In July, Merlin Entertainments, operator of the London Eye was interested to acquire the Flyer but the idea were abandoned by May 2014.

On 28 August 2014, Straco Leisure Pte Ltd announced the acquisition of Singapore Flyer at S$140 million after embezzlement and financial issues with the now defunct predecessor company, Great Wheel Corporation. Straco Leisure Pte Ltd is 90% owned by Straco Corporation Limited, a Singaporean listed company that operates tourist attractions in China such as the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium and Underwater World Xiamen. The remaining 10% is owned by WTS Leisure Pte Ltd, one of the largest private tour bus operators in Singapore.

Design

The development has a gross building area of approximately 16000 m2, built on a 33700 m2 site along the Marina Promenade. Designed by Arup and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with a capacity of up to 7.3 million passengers a year, the normally constant rotation of the wheel means that a complete trip lasts approximately 32 minutes.

The Flyer's 28 air-conditioned capsules are mounted outboard of the rim of the wheel structure, providing continuously unobstructed views. Each capsule has a floor area of 26 m2 and is capable of holding 28 passengers, or up to five wheelchairs and 15 other visitors when booked in advance for use by disabled guests.

The wheel initially rotated in a counter-clockwise direction when viewed from Marina Centre, but on 4 August 2008 this was reversed on the advice of Feng shui masters.

Wheelchair ramps and lifts, handicapped toilets and a dedicated parking lot for the disabled are also provided.

Incidents

On 4 December 2008, about 70 people were stranded on the wheel for nearly five hours due to bad weather.

At 4.50 pm on 23 December 2008, the Flyer suffered its fourth electrical issues with an electrical fire in the control room of the Flyer causing a technical malfunction, leading the Flyer to stop. 173 passengers were stranded in the capsules. Ten passengers were evacuated from the Flyer via ropes, one at a time, while the remaining passengers eventually left the Flyer after it resumed operation about six hours later at 11.10 pm. Two passengers were hospitalised and were discharged the next morning.

The Flyer was closed by the police for investigation into the fire. During the closure, repair works on the Flyer and new backup systems were implemented. It was later reopened on 26 January 2009.

On 25 January 2018, the Flyer was suspended after an issue was found with the mechanism which allows the wheel to rotate. 61 Passengers were evacuated from the ride. The issue was believed not to have caused any structural issues with the wheel nor the cabins. The Flyer was reopened about two months later on 1 April.

On 20 January 2022, the Flyer was suspended again after detection of a technical issue during a routine maintenance inspection.

In media

• The Bloomberg Television series High Flyers is filmed in one of the Flyer's capsules.
• The Flyer makes an appearance in the 2018 film, Crazy Rich Asians, based on the novel of the same name by Kevin Kwan.
• The Flyer was featured in a task on the sixteenth season of the American reality show The Amazing Race as well as during the finale of the first season of the Australian variant The Amazing Race Australia.
• The Flyer was featured and visited by South Korean band Twice for their TWICE TV series (TWICE TV6) when they were in Singapore.
• The Flyer was featured in two Detective Conan films, once in the 2016 film The Darkest Nightmare, and another time in the 2019 film The Fist of Blue Sapphire.
• The Flyer will appear in HBO series Euphoria, as part of the third season.

Gallery

File:Singapore flyer capsule cu.JPG|Exterior view inside a capsule File:Singapore flyer capsule inside.JPG|View within a capsule File:1 singapore flyer view 2012.jpg|Marina Bay in 2012, one of the many views from the Flyer's capsules File:1 - Yakult Rainforest Discovery.JPG|The site includes a tropical rainforest garden File:Singapore Singapore-Flyer-Ferris-wheel-01.jpg|Singapore Flyer in the day File:SkylinefromGardensbytheBay-23Sep2016-Bimal Mehta.jpg|Singapore Skyline at Sunset from Gardens by the Bay File:Singapore skyline at sunset viewed from Gardens by the Bay East - 20120426.jpg|A view of Singapore Flyer at Dusk, 2012 File:Singapore Flyer Viewed From Gardens by the Bay.jpg|From Gardens by the Bay

References

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6. (28 August 2014). "5 things about Singapore Flyer and new owner Straco".
7. (11 September 2013). "High Roller: world's largest Ferris wheel hoisted into place in Las Vegas".
8. Santorelli, Tom. "'World's tallest' Ferris wheel opens in Las Vegas". BBC News.
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15. Tan, Weizhen. (8 May 2014). "Singapore Flyer's woes takes a new spin after Merlin talks collapse – TODAYonline".
16. "Fun Facts about the Flyer".
17. "Design Concepts".
18. "Feng Shui turns this wheel".
19. (16 December 2007). "Wheelchair Access – Singapore Flyer". Singaporeflyer.com.
20. Ong, Dai Lin. (24 December 2008). "Stuck for 6 hours". [[Today (website).
21. Ong, Dai Lin. (24 December 2008). "Stuck for 6 hours". [[Today (website).
22. Yong, Clement. (2020-03-21). "Singapore Flyer reopens after 4-month suspension". [[The Straits Times]].
23. Wong, Tessa. (28 January 2009). "Crowds return as Flyer turns again". [[The Straits Times]].
24. Abdullah, Zhaki. (2018-04-01). "Singapore Flyer operating again after receiving go-ahead". [[The Straits Times]].
25. Toh, Ting Wei. (2022-01-20). "Singapore Flyer suspends flight operations after detection of technical issue". [[The Straits Times]].
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28. (August 2, 2011). "Tyler and Nathan Win the First Amazing Race Australia Series!". [[PopSugar]].
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