Woman Stands On Top Of Burj Khalifa In Incredible Emirates Ad; Airline Shows How It Was Filmed

A 33-second ad by Emirates Airline featuring a woman standing on top of the Burj Khalifa has gone viral and left social media users in awe.

The film begins with a close-up shot of Nicole Smith-Ludvik, a professional skydiving instructor, in the Emirates uniform holding up a series of message boards that read, “Moving the UAE to the UK Amber list has made us feel on top of the world. Fly Emirates. Fly Better.”

The camera then pans out and the viewer sees that Nicole is actually standing on top of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building at 828 metres above the ground. The final tagline reads, “See you in Dubai” followed by the Emirates logo and branding.

Watch the ad below

The initial reaction on social media had people doubting the authenticity of the stunt. Emirates then released a behind-the-scenes video that showed how they shot the entire film, without any green screen or special effects.

A custom platform with an attached pole was built for Nicole Smith-Ludvik to stand on. She was attached to the pole and at two other points through a hidden harness under the Emirates uniform.

Behind the scenes

The climb to the top took 1 hour 15 minutes from level 160 of the building. The team was at the pinnacle for approximately 5 hours and a single drone was used to capture the footage in one continuous take.

At 828 metres above ground level, this is one of the highest ads ever filmed. It was conceptualized and directed by Emirates’ in-house brand team in collaboration with Dubai-based Prime Productions AMG.

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