24 people rescued as Ferrari World rollercoaster stops amid rough weather

The safety feature of the Flying Aces attraction was activated by the weather on Friday, leaving passengers stuck 'for quite a long time'.

Staff evacuate passengers on the Flying Aces rollercoaster at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi on Friday. Christopher Pike / The National

ABU DHABI // Twenty-four passengers were rescued from a rollercoaster at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi after weather conditions forced the ride to abruptly stop.

The passengers had been ascending the Flying Aces – a rollercoaster that opened last year featuring the world’s tallest inverted loop and steepest and fastest cable lift – when the train suddenly stopped about halfway up the first incline on Friday.

“A safety feature stopped the rollercoaster train during the initial ascent,” Ferrari World said.

It took rescuers an average time of about 3.5 minutes per passenger to safely escort each rider “down the staircase to the station securely. The 24 guests were well looked after, and were all invited to visit again; 22 of them accepted return tickets”.

The country experienced extreme weather on Friday, with winds reaching speeds of 75kph, forcing the cancellation of a number of outdoor events due to safety concerns.

“With safety being the number one priority for guests and employees, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi’s technical teams conducted an immediate investigation, which confirmed that the ride’s safety features activated due to the weather conditions at the time,” Ferrari World said.

Park visitor Vikash Rawat said he travelled from Dubai to Abu Dhabi with two family members to visit Ferrari World and was upset no one at the ticket counter warned him that there was a chance the outdoor rides would be out of commission later in the day.

When he arrived, he noticed many visitors returning from the outdoor rides. The passengers on the rollercoaster “were waiting on the ride for quite a long time, just waiting for the rollercoaster to start,” said Mr Rawat, 32. Shortly after his arrival, the rides shut down, he said.

“It was disappointing,” said Mr Rawat. “They could have given us a refund or issued tickets for us to use next time.”

Ferrari World said Flying Aces was decommissioned for the rest of the day but normal operations resumed on Saturday.