How fast are the Burj Khalifa lifts (elevators)?
Burj Khalifa lifts, also called elevators, travel at up to 10 meters per second (36 kilometers per hour). The ride from the ground to levels 124 and 125 takes about 60 seconds, according to Otis and the Skyscraper Center. The tower has 57 lifts and 8 escalators per the official site. Checked 8 October 2026.
Key facts
- Top speed
- Up to 10 m/s (36 km/h)
- Ground to level 124 or 125
- About 60 seconds
- Ground to level 148
- About 75 seconds (Elevator World)
- Lifts
- 57 lifts and 8 escalators (official site; Otis 2024). One database lists 58 lifts.
- Double-deck lifts
- 2 double-deck lifts serve the observation decks. Passenger capacity: sources conflict.
- Service lift
- 5,500 kg capacity, described by the official site as the world's tallest service lift (single source)
- Longest single run
- About 500 m (BNP Media); 504 m (Wikipedia)
Does one lift go all the way to the top?
No lift runs more than about 500 m in one go, according to BNP Media (Wikipedia gives 504 m). Passengers change at sky lobbies on higher levels. The floor guide lists the sky lobbies on levels 43, 76 and 123 as reported by Wikipedia.
What happens to the lifts in an emergency?
A Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat paper on life safety says 10 lifts were upgraded so they can be used to evacuate the whole building under control of Dubai Civil Defence. Gulf News (2019) says two firefighter lifts serve up to level 111 and one serves levels 112 to 160. We found no other primary source, so treat these as reported.
Where do sources disagree about the lifts?
- Lift count. 57 per the official site and Otis (2024). Skyscraper Center lists 58. Some web pages say 73, which we could not verify and do not use.
- Double-deck capacity. Prysmian says 21 people per deck. Wikipedia says 12 to 14 per cabin. We do not publish a capacity.
Common questions
How fast is the Burj Khalifa lift?
Up to 10 meters per second (36 kilometers per hour), according to Otis and the Skyscraper Center.
How many lifts does Burj Khalifa have?
The official site says 57 lifts and 8 escalators. Otis repeated 57 lifts in a release dated 6 March 2024. One database lists 58.
Sources
- Otis, news release on Burj Khalifa modernization contract, 6 March 2024
- Skyscraper Center (Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat), Burj Khalifa building page, read on 8 October 2026
- Burj Khalifa official site, structures page, read on 8 October 2026
- Elevator World, Burj Khalifa lift article, read on 8 October 2026
- BNP Media, "Beyond Limits" (continuing education course on supertall lifts), read on 8 October 2026
- Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, "Burj Dubai: Life Safety and Crisis Response Planning Enhancements"
- Gulf News, "Crisis-proof?", updated 22 July 2019
- Prysmian, Burj Khalifa project note, read on 8 October 2026
- Wikipedia, "Burj Khalifa" (secondary source, used where no primary figure was found), read on 8 October 2026
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