Ain Dubai was previously named the Dubai Eye or Dubai-I. It was announced in February 2013.
Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Starneth Engineering were appointed as the primary design and construction contractors, together with KCI, the engineers who designed and engineered the complete wheel structure including the installation engineering. Construction began in May 2015, anticipating completion in early to mid-2019. Further delays pushed the target opening to 20 October 2020, in order to coincide with
Expo 2020, but this itself was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The wheel opened a year later on 21 October 2021. Ain Dubai closed to the public in March 2022 for "periodic enhancements". In April 2023, the operators announced that the Ain Dubai would remain "closed indefinitely", without any further explanation. The
axle of the wheel was at that time surrounded by scaffolding, and the German
TÜV Association, which was involved in the Ain's construction, withdrew its safety certification for the structure. However, since July 2023 the LED displays on the structure continued to be illuminated at night and are visible from long distances. In April 2024, Ain Dubai was seen to be in operation; however, it was still closed to the public. Ain Dubai officially reopened to visitors on 26 December 2024. ==See also==