Ain Dubai

Ain Dubai (عين دبي; lit. 'eye of Dubai') is a closed Ferris wheel at Bluewaters Island in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. When it opened in October 2021 it was the world's tallest giant observation wheel, at a height of 250 m. It has been closed to the public since March 2022.

History


Ain Dubai was previously named the Dubai Eye or Dubai-I. It was announced in February 2013.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Starneth Engineering were appointed as the primary design and construction contractors, together with KCI, the engineers who designed and engineered the complete wheel structure including the installation engineering. Construction began in May 2015, anticipating completion in early to mid-2019. Further delays pushed the target opening to 20 October 2020, in order to coincide with Expo 2020, but this itself was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The wheel opened a year later on 21 October 2021.

Ain Dubai is 82.4 m taller than the previous world's tallest observation wheel, the 167.6 m High Roller, which opened in Las Vegas in March 2014.

The wheel is designed to carry up to 1,750 passengers in 48 cabins and to provide views of Dubai Marina and landmarks such as Burj Al Arab, Palm Jumeirah, and Burj Khalifa.

Ain Dubai ceased being operational starting in March 2022 for "periodic enhancements". In April 2023, the operators announced that the Ain Dubai would remain "closed indefinitely", without any further explanation. The axle of the wheel was at that time surrounded by scaffolding, and the German TÜV Association, which was involved in the Ain's construction, withdrew its safety certification for the structure. However, the LED displays on the structure continue to be illuminated at night and are visible from miles away.

In April 2024, Ain Dubai was seen to be in operation, however it still remains closed to the public with no official opening date.