Who owns the London Eye? The South Bank landmark's ownership explored

The London Eye has gone by many different monikers, featuring some big-name companies such as British Airways and Coca-Cola, but they weren't the owners of the landmark.

In fact, the companies that have been featured in the South Bank structure's official name in the past have actually just been headline sponsors of the London Eye.

Its latest sponsorship with Lastminute.com began in February 2020. Reflecting on the new collaboration at the time, the group CEO of Lasminute.com, Marco Corradino said: "London is the city where it all began for lastminute.com more than 20 years ago, so we're thrilled to announce our partnership with one of the capitals most recognisable symbols, the London Eye."

Some of its other leading sponsors from the past two decades have included British Airways, EDF Energy and Coca-Cola. 

The London Eye was initially named the Millenium Wheel upon its addition to the capital’s South Bank in 1999 as it celebrated the start of the new century.

The famous wheel is actually owned by the London Eye Management Services Ltd, which is a part of the globally known Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd. 

The Merlin entertainment company, which operates a number of theme parks and tourist attractions across the world, also manages some of the nearby South Bank spots, including both Sea Life and The London Dungeons. 

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