Burj Dubai opens 'this year'

The official opening date of the world’s tallest skyscraper in Dubai remains uncertain - but it will be this year, according to its developer.


Emaar Properties said in a brief statement that the Burj Dubai: “is scheduled to open this year”.

The firm had previously announced that the 800m tower, which still has an incomplete facade, would open in September.

Abu Dhabi’s The National newspaper reported that the skyscraper’s opening would be delayed until December.

Emaar’s profits and share price have been dented by falling property prices in Dubai and other markets.

The skyscraper became the world’s tallest building and tallest free-standing structure in April when it surpassed the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota in the US, which held the record for the world’s tallest supported structure.

Emaar announced in June that the building’s completion had been delayed by upgrades for its: “luxury finishes”. The tower is part of a development which is expected to feature 30,000 homes, hotels, a shopping mall and a man-made lake.