Star Wars actor Mark Hamill officially opened the Skywalk at the top of the Rock this morning by ‘cutting’ a ribbon with a lightsaber and saying the words: “The force is strong with the Skywalk.”

Mr Hamill, who is famous for his role as Luke Skywalker in the popular movie series, was accompanied by the Chief Minister and a small group of Stormtroopers on the new viewing platform.

SKYWALK FACTS

Standing 340 metres directly above sea level, the Skywalk is higher than the tallest point of London’s The Shard.

It offers 360-degree views spanning three countries and two continents. The Government says the Skywalk is set to become Gibraltar’s premier tourist attraction, and links to other sites within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve including the Windsor Suspension Bridge and Apes’ Den via a series of walking trails.

Built on the foundations of an existing WWII base structure, the Skywalk is designed to withstand wind speeds of over 150km/hour and can carry the weight of five Asian elephants, or 340 people, standing on it at the same time but visitor numbers will be limited to 50 at any one time. The floor and balustrade panels are made up of four layers of laminated glass with a total thickness of around 4.2cm.

Laid out side-by-side, the 42 glass panels would cover more than 750m2, roughly the equivalent of four tennis courts. The walkway is 2.5m wide and projects a maximum of 6.7m from the main structural support point. 70m of rock anchors and 30,000kg of steel secure the Skywalk to the Rock.

RECEPTION

At a breakfast reception for VIPs and other guests at the Mons Calpe Suite, Mr Hamill said: “The great thing about Star Wars is that everyone thinks they know me - they treat me like family. It’s great to be here in Gibraltar with your Macaques; we don’t have those in Malibu!”

“When I was told we were going to open something called ‘a skywalk’, some little movie I had seen years ago came to mind,” said the Chief Minister who added that the appeal of Star Wars, its moral themes and characters, was felt across cultures and nations.

Mr Picardo said: “I am delighted to welcome Mark Hamill to Gibraltar for a very special inauguration of the Skywalk. At the top of the Rock of Gibraltar the Skywalk will serve as a stunning attraction for years to come, and it is only fitting that Mr Hamill, best known as ‘Luke Skywalker’ himself, should take the first steps.”