After more than 60 enterprising years in aviation, including 35 years in the Emirates Group, Sir Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice Chairman, Emirates Airline & Group, has decided to retire in April.
Maurice joined dnata in 1978, after 25 years of stellar service in British Airways. Tasked with launching Emirates in 1985 with a small, enthusiastic team of experts, he led from the front as Managing Director of the fledgling airline.
By then, Maurice was already an influential aviation veteran, while I had recently graduated from university. Since those early days, he has been a mentor and guide, and I will always cherish the instant chemistry we shared and the subsequent friendship we forged through the years.
He has played a strategic role in the phenomenal growth and agility of the Emirates Group and influenced Dubai's significant standing on the global stage.
In the aviation industry, he is a legend. To us, he will always be a founder, a visionary, an exceptional leader, and above all, an empathetic and generous human being.
We will all miss him. I bid farewell to this extraordinary trailblazer and wish him a well-earned and richly deserved retirement.
Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum
Chairman & Chief Executive Emirates Airline & Group
Maurice joined dnata in 1978, after 25 years of stellar service in British Airways. Tasked with launching Emirates in 1985 with a small, enthusiastic team of experts, he led from the front as Managing Director of the fledgling airline.
By then, Maurice was already an influential aviation veteran, while I had recently graduated from university. Since those early days, he has been a mentor and guide, and I will always cherish the instant chemistry we shared and the subsequent friendship we forged through the years.
He has played a strategic role in the phenomenal growth and agility of the Emirates Group and influenced Dubai's significant standing on the global stage.
In the aviation industry, he is a legend. To us, he will always be a founder, a visionary, an exceptional leader, and above all, an empathetic and generous human being.
We will all miss him. I bid farewell to this extraordinary trailblazer and wish him a well-earned and richly deserved retirement.
Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum
Chairman & Chief Executive Emirates Airline & Group