View of part of the Fujairah Corniche and the Hajar Mountains in the Background

Monday, March 17, 2008

World’s Tallest Skyscraper Delayed

The world's tallest skyscraper under construction in the city of Dubai will take longer than planned to finish, its builders said, putting off the opening planned for the end of this year.

The Burj Dubai tower currently stands over 1,700 feet tall. The state-owned developer Emaar Properties said completion would be postponed until sometime in 2009. It did not give specifics, but the newspaper Gulf News and the online news site ArabianBusiness.com said the delay would be four months.

"The company would rather opt for a nominal delay in total quality execution of the Burj Dubai ... than compromise on any aspect of quality," Emaar, one of the main builders in this Gulf boomtown, said in a press release without elaborating.

Emaar did not give the reason for the delay.

Further details: ‘Burj Dubai Opening Delayed by Four Months’, Gulf News, 4 March 2008.

Image: Burj Dubai.