Dubai Exclusive—Ask Sir Maurice Flanagan what he is most proud of in his long and exciting airline career, and his answer is straightforward and remarkably to the point considering his half century of service.
“Starting Emirates,” he says.

ne of the greatest builders, dreamers, and doers in the history of the airline business, Sir Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice Chairman Emirates Airlines & Group, will retire at the close of April 2013.
     Hampered by some old sports injuries, without a single word of surrender, the airline visionary puts down his sword after changing global airline history forever.
     But during an era in aviation history that began in 1985, when Maurice Flanagan held sway at Emirates Airline, he was key in creating the airline that built an empire of the air.

     Speaking of Empire, on November 26, 2010, in Abu Dhabi, Queen Elizabeth declared Maurice Flanagan a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), recognizing his long and illustrious career in aviation, and bestowing the honor with many members of Mr. Flanagan’s family and friends in attendance, including Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
     He was previously honored as Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honors List in 2000.
     After having been at British Airways, Sir Maurice arrived in Dubai in 1977, having been selected by the Government of Dubai to become General Manager of Dnata, which was already emerging as the region’s leading ground handler, General Sales Agent and travel agency. At that time the business was still known as its full name - the Dubai National Air Travel Agency and had no visibly recognized brand. One of his first tasks was to oversee the creation of an identity for Dnata, which would capture the hearts and minds of Dnata’s customers and lead the business on to even greater heights.
     In 1985 Sir Maurice became Managing Director of Emirates in 1985 when the airline began operations.
     “I was selected by Sheikh Mohammed to start the airline.
     “When the airline started I had daily airline tutorials with Sheikh Ahmed.
     “He has a brilliant mind, and had a memory like a steel trap.”

In 1993, poring over the details—Sir Maurice on Sheikh Ahmed, "He has been so hands on that it was right to add Chief Executive to his title."

     Maurice Flanagan was tasked with starting up a new airline to be called Emirates, “with $10 million and no hope for further loans or cash infusions,” as he recalled.
     Today by some estimates Emirates Group is worth upwards of $30 billion.
     He was appointed Group Managing Director of the Emirates Group in 1990 and became Vice Chairman and Group President in July 2003 and Executive Vice Chairman in 2006.
     As the retirement announcement came out this week in Dubai, Mr. Flanagan said that he was “fortunate” in having served since the start of the airline under Emirates’ charismatic chairman, HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and was similarly quick to pay tribute to the support he received from his colleagues.

     A couple weeks ago we sat in Maurice Flanagans’ comfortable office in a complex build across from the dazzling new airport in Dubai, built upon Emirates Airline’s global success.
     He was his usual ebullient self as he talked about retirement, and immediately laughed when I told him we were looking for a puff of white smoke above Emirates HQ signaling that his successor had been named.
     “I shall return home to England and become a tax resident there,” Sir Maurice smiled.
     “But I will also still spend a lot of time in Dubai.
     “Sheikh Ahmad is keeping our company home here for us.”
     “I am one of the Trustees of the Annual International Literary Festival in Dubai (just completed) in 2014.”
     “I’ll also come back for the rugby.
     “I shall be here when the weather gets foul in England.
     “We have my daughter and son-in-law here, so our future will include plenty of time in Dubai,” he said.


     “Important news from The International Literary Festival this year is that Leslie McLoughlin, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter has completed development on an EU-funded online e-Learning course of Modern Standard Arabic for tourists, students and business people.
     “The possibilities are endless for this absolutely free to everyone in EU & UAE interactive e-learning course that is in use in schools, government and diplomatic services and elsewhere.
     “For example thousands of online learners can learn the language simply by going to the website or to an iPad or Android apps as well.”
     “The website www.arabiconline.eu is a virtual window on the Arab world, and can get you speaking the language and up to date quickly,” Sir Maurice said.
     “It is simply amazing,” he added.
     “There are instant translations from Arabic to English, and you can record your voice and the site will tell you if you’ve got it right,” he said.
     While we spoke, Maurice occasionally said something to his desktop that repeated the words back in Arabic.
     Here is the man who helped lay the foundation and guided the movements of what has become a transportation enterprise, which, in 2013, has eclipsed all but a few airlines in the international passenger and cargo business.
     And yet he is still learning.
     Except now he is running with the 20-year-old computer geeks and their professors to bring the Arabic language and culture to every computer in the world.


     As we spoke a bit further, Mr. Flanagan offered a personal view of the airline business at the moment:
     “Emirates in 2013 is doing just fine, the flights are full,” Sir Maurice said.
     “In fact flights are so busy that in some cases we are turning people away.”
     “We could put the fares up 10 percent and be better off.”


     “We never liked it.
     “We don’t do single aisle airplanes.”
      The Airbus A350-EWB?
     “Well that is a serious airplane.”
     “It looks like Boeing will come up with a new version of the B777 with sexy new engines and a much more composite fuselage.
     “The next B777 airplane should be a world beater—when that happens,” Maurice Flanagan said.
     Sir Maurice also said that he thinks the combination of USAir and American Airlines “is a step too far.”
     “It is well established that economies of scale go into reverse in airlines beyond what Christopher Chataway, when he headed the British CAA, described as a relatively low point in scale.
     “Some airlines seem to think that size, by amalgamation, will automatically bring economies of scale.
     “It just does not work in that way.
     “A monster like that is bound to be inefficient,” he said.
     When asked what has surprised him over the course of his career, his answer was immediate and direct:
     “More than anything else, Dubai has surprised me.
     “I came here on secondment from British Airways, for two years—33 years ago.
     “I've seen centuries of change here in that time, all to the good.”
     “Emirates has just overtaken Delta as the second biggest airline in terms of seat miles flown.
     “That pace is quickening as every month we are taking on a new A380 and also B777-300 ER.
     “The B777-300ER is an amazing airplane.
     “We are currently serving the west coast of USA from Dubai with it and results are just great.
     “That aircraft filled all the way up with passengers and baggage can still take up to 20 tons of cargo,” Maurice said.
     Finally, as words of retirement hung above the room, we wondered if there was any unfinished business.
     Sir Maurice looked right at me and said, “Indeed!
     “I need to write quite a bit more poetry.
     “I have a book coming that is in progress.
     “I’ve also created a play for television.
     “It’s time to get onto new challenges,” Maurice Flanagan said.
     Since that encounter three weeks ago we have been thinking that wherever this great man sets down, he will always be somewhere situate to computer and phone in case the call comes in from Dubai.
     The airline business says farewell to one of its greatest.
     Blue skies always, Sir Maurice!
Geoffrey/Flossie