The first public rides were on Valentine's Day, 14 February, the soft launch on 1 March,[2] and the official opening on 15 April, at which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was the guest of honour.

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.

[12] 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 (280 sq ft) 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.

[13] 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.

[15] On 28 August 2014, Straco Leisure Pte Ltd announced the acquisition of Singapore Flyer after embezzlement and financial issues with the now defunct predecessor company, Great Wheel Corporation.