Newsmakers
Emirates founding CEO, Sir Maurice Flanagan, dies at 86
June 1st 2015
Sir Maurice Flanagan, who led the team that launched Emirates Airline in October 1985, passed away, after a brief battle with cancer, at home in London on May 7. Read More » Sheikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group said: “The Emirates Group and Dubai has lost a great friend today.
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“Maurice was a man of great character and a legend in the aviation business. He was generous with his time, forthright in his views and a person who gave 110 per cent to everything he did. It was a great personal pleasure and privilege to work with him. His contributions to Dnata, Emirates and Dubai will always be remembered.”
Lancashire-born Flanagan, who studied French and history at Liverpool University, completed his National Service as a navigator and was in the running for a career at Blackburn Rovers Football club when a knee injury cut short his sporting career. His talents as a writer won him an offer to write for England’s National Theatre, but he opted instead for a job at British Overseas Airways Corporation, the predecessor of British Airways. At BOAC and then British Airways his postings included India, Iran, Kenya and Thailand.
In 1978, he moved to the Middle East to run the Dubai National Air Travel Agency (Dnata), a ground handling and travel services company, where he came to the attention of the Emirate’s leader, Sheikh Mohammed. When it was decided Dubai should set up its own airline Flanagan was put in charge of the task. The team, later including a young Tim Clark, built the desert airline from its launch thirty years ago into one of the largest carriers in the world.
Sir Maurice said Sheikh Mohammed gave the airline US$10 million for its start-up plus another $70 million in “cash and kind”. Emirates has delivered profits to its owners since the third year of its operations. In 2006, he retired from the day-to-day running of the carrier, but remained at the airline as executive vice chairman and adviser to the Emirate’s aviation boss, Sheikh Ahmed. He retired in 2013 and divided his time between Dubai and London, where he indulged his love of sport, especially cricket.
He is survived by his wife Audrey and their three children, Julian, Soibhan and Claire.
