THE i360 will open on August 4 and ticket are now on sale. 

The announcement was made within the last few minutes by attraction bosses.

Previously chief executive Eleanor Harris said the tickets would go on sale in June and the attraction would open in time for the summer holidays. There were fears of delays after a couple last week told The Argus their wedding reception - due to take place on July 29 - was cancelled less than a month before the big day. 

When it opens visitors will be able to glide up the 450 feet viewing tower in a glass pod to admire the views across Brighton and Hove, over the English Channel and along the south coast. The viewing pod is ten times the size of the London Eye capsule and can carry 200 passengers. 

Journeys, dubbed flights, last 20 minutes in the day and half an hour after 6pm when the pod transforms into a Nyetimber sky bar serving local wine.

Tickets cost from £13.50 for adults and from £6.75 for children. Those under the age of four can ride for free.  

A number of events will mark the launch of the British Airways-sponsored event and more will be announced in the coming weeks.

Designed by Marks Barfield Architects, creators of the London Eye, the attraction opens almost exactly two years to the day when the project team put the first spade in the ground to begin construction.

Architects David Marks and Julia Barfield said: "The team behind British Airways i360 has gone beyond the call of duty and created a new landmark they should all be proud of.

"Built at the landward end of Brighton's historic West Pier, British Airways i360 is a modern day vertical pier which invites visitors to walk on air and gain a new perspective on the city, just as the West Pier invited Victorian society to walk on water.”

Councillor Warren Morgan, leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, welcomed the news, which could see an estimated 750,000 visitors a year trying out the new attraction. . 
He said: "The profit on the interest from the loan and the business rates which the i360 will pay will earn the city more than £1 million a year. This is £1 million a year which the council will reinvest in Brighton and Hove and help support services."
He said he hoped the company, as one of few seafront employers and the hospitality sector paying the living wage, would set an example to other businesses. 

Lynne Embleton, of British Airways, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors on board. Brighton is home to thousands of our customers and colleagues and we fly to more than 65 destinations across the globe from Gatwick so we are delighted to be involved in this exciting attraction that we know UK and international visitors will love.” 

  • Tickets can be booked at BritishAirwaysi360.com or by calling 03337 720 360 (a £2 surcharge will be added to each booking made by telephone). Bookings can also be made at the British Airways i360 ticket office from Thursday, August 4.