Woman Stands Atop the World’s Tallest Building 2,716 Feet in the Air

A woman was treated to an unrivalled view as she stood atop the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, 2,716 feet in the air.

The impressive feat was organized by Emirates airline for a commercial, which it has billed as one of the “highest adverts ever filmed.”

Few people have had the privilege of standing at the pinnacle of the building, located in the United Arab Emirates capital, with the exclusive group including Tom Cruise and Crown Prince of Dubai, H.H Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The commercial, aired last week, was aimed at enticing British tourists back to the hotspot, now U.K.-based COVID restrictions have been relaxed.

The 30-second ad starts by filming a woman, dressed in the Emirates cabin crew uniform, against a blue sky, as she holds up placards.

She flicks through the message boards reminiscent of the iconic scene in Love Actually, which say: “Moving the UAE to the U.K. amber list, has made us feel on top of the world. Fly Emirates. Fly better.”

At the end, the camera zooms out to reveal her precarious position, standing on a custom-built platform at the very top of the Burj Khalifa by Emaar, which had a circumference of only three feet nine inches.

After receiving numerous questions over filming, Emirates confirmed the stunt was pulled off without the help of a green screen or special effects, with “rigorous planning” going into the commercial, assuring “strict safety protocol” was followed.

“She was attached to the pole as well as two other different points directly to the pinnacle, through a hidden harness under the Emirates uniform,” the airline confirmed.

While Emirates searched among their flight attendants for a suitable candidate who could pull off the impressive feat, in the end a professional skydiver, Nicole Smith-Ludvik, was chosen to star in the ad.

Smith-Ludvik uploaded a dizzying photo to Instagram, showing her feet dangling off the edge with the Dubai skyline in the background. “What do you think of the view from the top of the @burjkhalifa?” she asked followers.

The view was a sight for sore eyes as Emirates confirmed the team climbed for one hour and 15 minutes minutes from level 160, to reach the platform in the sky.

The crew began climbing before sunrise to capture the “golden hour light,” and shimmied up ladders inside tubes in order to reach the top.

They were at the peak for around five hours, with a single drone used to film the commercial in one single take, with a behind-the-scenes clip shared to the airline’s social media pages.

Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, said: “We always look to challenge the norm and push boundaries at Emirates. We do it every day through our innovative services, our best in class product and of course through our advertising.

“The calm and confidence of the cabin crew you see in the ad is an embodiment of our frontline team, serving travellers and ensuring their safety. We’re proud to be among a privileged few who have been allowed to film at the top of the Burj Khalifa by Emaar; and even prouder that we get to showcase our beautiful city, Dubai.”