Saudi Arabia is set to become either the world’s greatest attraction for roller coaster fans or a very scary place for those who aren’t. A new Six Flags theme park under construction in the desert kingdom is scheduled to open in 2023, and one of the prime attractions will be a record-breaking roller coaster.
Not only record-breaking, but possibly stomach-lurching and scream-inducing. Falcon’s Flight plans to accelerate visitors to 250 km/h, about 156 mph and then drop them into a 160m-deep valley, all on the longest coaster ever built. And the tallest. And the fastest. It will be claiming those records from roller coasters in New Jersey and Dubai respectively.
The ride is part of a development just outside the capital city, Riyadh, and features six “lands” each with a different them and 28 rides and attractions. It’s part of the Saudi plan to open the country to tourism; the country has a goal of 30 million visitors a year by 2030.
