Tallest skyscraper closes its doors

Published on Monday 8 February 2010 21:40

THE world's tallest skyscraper has unexpectedly closed to the public a month after its lavish opening, disappointing tourists headed for the observation deck and casting doubt over plans to welcome its first permanent occupants in the coming weeks.

Electrical problems were partly to blame for the closure of the Burj Khalifa's viewing platform – the only part of the half-mile high tower currently open. But a lack of information from the spire's owner left it unclear whether the rest of the largely empty building – including dozens of elevators meant to whisk visitors to the tower's 160 floors – was affected by the shutdown.

The indefinite closure comes as Dubai struggles to revive its international image as a cutting-edge Arab metropolis amid nagging questions about its financial health.

The Persian Gulf city-state had hoped the 2,717ft Burj Khalifa, which juts like a silvery needle out of the desert and can be seen from miles around, would be a major tourist draw.