The world’s fastest and highest rollercoaster… that goes off a CLIFF: Saudi Arabia’s ‘Falcon’s Flight’ promises a speed of 156mph, with a stomach-churning 640ft drop

Saudi Arabia has unveiled its latest record-breaking mega project, the world’s fastest and tallest roller coaster, promising speeds of 250 km/h and a 200-metre drop.

The Falcon’s Flight will be built at Six Flags Qiddiya, an entertainment center under development near Riyadh, as part of the country’s ambitious Vision 2030 goals.

A new video shows a projection of the proposed attraction as it meanders along a 4,000-foot track, at one point jumping off the side of a cliff.

It is expected to eclipse the current height record holder, the 456ft Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey.

And it will also surpass the fastest: currently Formula Rossa at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, which reaches speeds of 230 km/h and requires drivers to wear goggles.

The fragment shows the extent of the planned ride against the backdrop of the vast desert landscape

At 250 km/h, the ride will be the fastest in the world, upsetting the record holder in Abu Dhabi

The project was presented by Intamin this week at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo.

Qiddiya’s Chief Executive Officer, Philippe Gas, said: ‘Roller coaster fans around the world have been eagerly awaiting this ride since it was announced, because there is nothing like it anywhere else.

“Now that we’re in the design phase with the experts at Intamin and the Six Flags engineering team, the excitement is building!

‘Falcon’s Flight will dominate the Qiddiya skyline, all the way around our destination, straight out of the theme park, up the cliff and down the cliff face – the biggest descent of any ride in the world; it won’t be for the faint of heart.’

Six Flags Qiddiya is billed as ‘a theme park that will break all records in family fun and entertainment’, spread across six themed lands with ‘a range of record-breaking rides and attractions, including the gravity-defying Falcon’s Flight’.

It will be built in Qiddiya, a planned city ‘on the doorstep of Riyadh’ being developed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

“Our goal, in line with Vision 2030, is to ensure that Saudi Arabia is among the top tourist destinations in the world and we are proud of the local, regional and international media attention our project continues to attract,” said a spokesperson. website advertisement for the development plans reads.

Saudi Arabia, which has one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, is planning a number of so-called mega-projects aimed at reinventing its economy.

The planned smart city of Neom in northwestern Saudi Arabia was announced by the Crown Prince in October 2017, also as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 to reduce oil dependence, diversify the economy and build public service sectors.

The ambitious project would be powered solely by wind and solar energy and is estimated to cost $500 billion.

Critics have noted that only two buildings had been constructed by July 2022, ahead of the first phase completion date set for 2025.

In January 2021, plans were unveiled for a 170 kilometer long, 200 meter wide, linear city – ‘The Line’ – running through the region.

It is expected that all basic facilities for nine million residents will be within five minutes’ walking distance.

But the project has drawn criticism surveillance technology for data collection and for sentencing people to death who were forcibly evicted and displaced to make way for the project.

Amnesty International has noticed that the Saudi Vision 2030 was made possible by a massive demolition and eviction plan that affected half a million people in Jeddah alone, violating international human rights standards and discriminating against foreigners.

Falcon’s Flight is being built at Six Flags Qiddiya, a theme park that promises to ‘break all records in family fun and entertainment’

Formula One-style cars are pictured racing around the roller coaster at Six Flags Qiddiya

Qiddiya CEO said: ‘Roller coaster fans around the world have been eagerly awaiting this ride since it was announced, as there is nothing like it anywhere else.’

The planned roller coaster will accommodate fourteen people at a time, the developers say

Saudi Arabia is also investing in Amaala, an upcoming sustainable mega-project of 2,500 hotel rooms and 200 shops, aiming to attract tourists to the Red Sea coast.

A number of cultural sites will also receive investments as the country looks to attract international tourists as part of its diversification drive.

The Saudi Vision 2030 includes attracting 27 million domestic and foreign tourists.