Singapore News

Additional back-up mechanisms to be installed at Singapore Flyer
By Pearl Forss, Channel NewAsia | Posted: 30 December 2008 2125hrs

Singapore: Additional independent back-up mechanisms are going to be installed in Singapore Flyer, over and above the current standby generator, to ensure the wheel keeps moving.

The Flyer stoppage last Tuesday was a harrowing experience for patrons and the attraction's management said they have contacted the victims who were trapped in the wheel's capsules for over seven hours by phone or through home visits to express their apologies personally.

The other affected group are the tenants, and the Flyer management have decided to waive their rentals from the day of the stoppage until the end of the year. A meeting will be held with the tenants on Wednesday.

A team of eight international experts, including engineers from the Flyer's Japanese contractor and consultants for the London Eye, have been flown into Singapore.

Their key task, besides assessing the situation, is to see how the mechanism can be made safer. They have short-listed two back-up mechanisms to keep the wheel moving in the event of a similar stoppage. But no further details have been revealed.

The experts have said they will stay here as long as they are needed.

In a statement, Singapore Flyer's chairman, Florian Bollen, said the safety of the flight experience is and will always be the management's highest priority.

He added that management and international experts are working to ensure the stoppage "will never happen again".

Some have questioned the Flyer management's decision to conduct an evacuation with ropes when the stoppage occurred.

Stephen Yeo, general manager, Singapore Flyer, said: "It was not possible to immediately know how long the repair process would take. It was decided after three hours to start evacuating only those people who wished to be lowered by ropes out of the lower capsules. The top priority was always to repair the wheel and return the capsules to ground level."

Concerns have been raised about its impact on Singapore's reputation as a tourist destination.

Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran said: "The Flyer management have to get things rectified and assure the authorities of the safety standards because this is going to be critical if they are going to resume their business.

"But I think Singapore's offerings as a tourism destination go beyond the Flyer. We have a wide range of attractions that people come to see."

Mr Iswaran added that Singapore's tourism attractions are safe because in general, they are subjected to international audits before public entertainment licences are granted.