Singapore Flyer to reopen on March 20

THE Singapore Flyer will reopen on March 20  following a four-month suspension, said tourism player Straco Corporation in a statement on Thursday. 

Its subsidiary, Straco Leisure, which operates the giant observation wheel, has received approval from the Building and Construction Authority to resume operations at the attraction. 

Straco said the suspension of operations since Nov 19 last year was undertaken as a precautionary measure, due to a technical issue affecting a small section of the outer layer of a spoke cable. There are 112 of these  cables in the design of the observation wheel, and each is an assembly of a wire rope core consisting of multiple helically twisted steel wires, with Z-shaped wires that interlock with another in the outer layers. 

Inspection and tests have been carried out under the supervision of an appointed specialist professional engineer to "ensure the structural integrity" of the attraction, said the group. 

Straco shares closed trading at S$0.42 on Thursday, down S$0.04 or 8.7 per cent.