World’s tallest observation wheel, Ain Dubai, will open this year

The world’s tallest observation wheel, Ain Dubai, will be opened this year to “coincide” with the start of Expo 2020 Dubai, it was confirmed on Sunday.

In a message on Twitter, Dubai Media Office said that the structure will open to public soon.

.@MeraasDubai's 'Ain Dubai' to open doors for visitors later this year, coinciding with @expo2020dubai. pic.twitter.com/OHhLkSLAAh

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) January 19, 2020

Located at Meraas’ Dhs8bn Bluewaters Island, Ain Dubai, at over 250 metres, will carry up to 1,900 passengers at a time in its 48 double-glazed capsules, offering 360-degree views of Dubai.

When complete, the structure will be over 200 per cent taller than the first ever Ferris wheel. Currently, the world’s tallest observation wheel is the High Roller in Las Vegas, US, which stands at 167 metres. The second tallest is the London Eye, which has a height of 135 metres.

Ain Dubai is set to become the main attraction on Bluewaters Island, which also features entertainment, retail, residential and hospitality offerings.

Ain Dubai in Numbers:

– 250+: height in meters of Ain Dubai, making it the world’s tallest observation wheel.

– 5 tonnes: the weight of each permanent spoke cable that holds the wheel rim in place.

– 1 football pitch: length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional football pitch.

– 2,400: distance in kilometres of all the cable wires housed inside the spoke cables if they were joined end to end. That’s the same distance as Dubai to Cairo.

– 16 Airbus A380s: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.

– 126: length in meters of the legs that support the structure.

– 15: London buses can fit inside each leg.

– 9,000: tonnes of steel used in the construction of Ain Dubai.