Why This Emirates Flight Attendant Was Spotted Standing Atop Burj Khalifa

Many know that at 828 metres, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest building in the world. While scaling the skyscraper may sound completely absurd, an Emirates “flight attendant” can safely say that she has done so. The reason behind this: To commemorate the removal of the United Arab Emirates from the United Kingdom’s red list and its shift to the amber list.

Also read: Emirates Allows Passengers to Purchase Empty Seats Next to Them From Just S$73

Emirates takes their marketing to greater heights

Taking its marketing campaign to new heights (quite literally!), Emirates roped in Nicole Smith-Ludvik — a skydiver and stuntwoman — to carry out the daring feat.  

The 32-second clip shows her clad in an Emirates uniform going through a series of placards. These signages read: “Moving the UAE to the UK amber list has made us feel on top of the world,” “Fly Emirates,” and “Fly Better.”

At first, it seems like a run-off-the-mill recording. But soon, stopping viewers in their tracks, it pans out to reveal the braveheart standing atop the world’s tallest building. 

“This is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing and exciting stunts I’ve ever done,” Smith-Ludvik said on her Instagram page. “A big shout out to Emirates Airlines for your creative marketing idea! It was a pleasure being a part of the team.”

Is Emirates’ video of the flight attendant standing on top of Burj Khalifa fake or real?

While it may seem like there’s more to it than meets the eye, the video is very real, contrary to popular belief. A few days after the advert went viral on the internet, Emirates released a behind the scenes video on its social media platforms to get the truth out there.

In the one-minute clip, sceptics can witness the rigorous training and strict safety protocols that made the nail-biting endeavour a success. Additionally, it discloses that the crew had to climb for an hour to reach the tip of Burj Khalifa from the 160th storey. Apart from that, snippets of the set-up in the air were also featured.

The first video has amassed approximately 4,500 shares on Emirates’s Facebook page, while the subsequent one gathered more than 12,000 shares. 

Also read: Emirates Tops the Airline Ranking for Safe Travels & Singapore Airlines Follows Suit

UK removes the UAE from red list

Image credit: Emirates Official Website

Effective 8 Aug 2021, inbound travellers from the UAE will join the UK’s amber list. This means that passengers arriving from the country will not have to pay to quarantine in a government hotel for 10 days. Instead, they can isolate themselves at their own designated place.

On the other hand, fully vaccinated travellers will be able to skip quarantine. However, they must have received the vaccination from a recognised UK, EU, USA vaccination programme. Plus, provide a negative COVID-19 test within two days of arrival.