A year after it opened to the public on August 4, 2016, British Airways i360 will mark its first anniversary by thanking its customers and the city for their support.

As part of the celebrations:

  • All customers taking a flight on the British Airways i360 pod on August 4, 2017, will be offered a birthday cupcake. A live band will perform on site in the afternoon and there will be free face-painting for children.
  • Customers on the 2pm flight on August 4, which marks the moment the attraction opened to the public last year, will also be welcomed with free drinks from the Nyetimber Sky Bar.
  • Any customers born on August 4 will be given a free flight on their birthday, subject to availability*.
  • The attraction's 26,000 Resident Members will have their membership extended free of charge, meaning they can continue to enjoy half-price tickets for another 12 months**. Time restrictions on usage have also been lifted so that Resident Member discounts apply at any time of day, year-round.
  • In addition to the 39,000 free tickets given to the city's school children in the last year, British Airways i360 will send free tickets to children starting reception classes in Brighton & Hove state schools in autumn 2017.
  • The Belle Vue restaurant at British Airways i360 closes today (July 24) for a refit, and will re-open under a new name – the West Beach Bar & Kitchen, in time for the first-year anniversary. Celebrated local neon artist Andy Doig is creating a bespoke piece for the bar area and artwork by other Brighton artists will be displayed for sale year-round. Please see supplementary press release w/c July 31 for full information about the West Beach Bar & Kitchen.
British Airways i360 Executive Director Steve Bax said: “A year after it opened, British Airways i360 is giving inspiration and delight to hundreds of thousands of people. Nearly 80% of our customers rate us as 'excellent' or 'very good' on TripAdvisor, and according to the Brighton Visitor Survey 2016***, we are the most-visited paid-for attraction in the city.

“As we mark our first birthday next week, everyone at British Airways i360 will be celebrating the enormous achievements of the past year and the benefits the project has brought to Brighton & Hove. Most importantly, we will be thanking the city and our customers for their fantastic support.”

British Airways i360 was conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects, and was part-funded by a capital loan from the Public Works Loan Board via Brighton & Hove City Council. The council earns around £1m a year from interest on the loan, plus additional income from business rates and 1% of BA i360 ticket sales in perpetuity.

British Airways i360 Chairman David Marks said: “Over the last year, British Airways i360 has paid £2.6m to Brighton & Hove City Council in loan repayments, money the council is now using to regenerate the seafront. British Airways i360 has created 150 new local jobs, given away 39,000 tickets to the city's school children and won eight prestigious awards for design and innovation.”