Maurice Flanagan
Encyclopedia
Sir Maurice Flanagan, KBE
(born 1928) is the founding CEO of Emirates and currently the Executive Vice-Chairman of The Emirates Group
. He was born in 1928 in Leigh
, Lancashire
, England
. In 1955, he married Audrey Bolton, a journalist, with whom he has three children and five grandchildren.
Flanagan attended Lymm Grammar School and Liverpool University, where he gained a BA in History and French. He performed his National Service
in the RAF as a navigator
with the rank of commissioned officer. During an evening outing, he suffered a knee injury that ruled out a potential career as a football player, which Blackburn Rovers had shown interest in fostering. Abandoning an athletic profession in 1953, he joined BOAC
as a management trainee, subsequently working for the airline in Kenya
, Sri Lanka
, Peru
, Iran
, India
and the UK.
In 1969, Flanagan was one of the winners of a TV playwriting competition run by the Observer
newspaper and ITV
's Saturday Night Theatre
with "The Garbler Strategy", a satire on management theory that starred Leonard Rossiter
. Kenneth Tynan
, one of the competition judges, invited Flanagan to write for the National Theatre
, where Tynan was literary advisor. Flanagan chose the more sure route of a promising airline career.
Maurice Flanagan spent 25 years with BOAC and British Airways
, until he was seconded from BA's senior management to Dnata
, the organisation appointed by the government of Dubai
to run its travel and airport interests.
In 1985, the Dubai government employed Flanagan to launch Emirates. The fledgling airline received $10 million start-up capital that it repaid the following year, marking its immediate success.
Flanagan was awarded a CBE in 2000 for services to communities in the United Arab Emirates
and to aviation, and KBE in the 2010 Birthday Honours
.
Other awards include Flight International
magazine's Personality of the Year, membership of the British Travel Industry Hall of Fame, Aviation Legend award by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society
and Honorary Fellow (the Society's highest award), Liveryman of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators
, and membership of the Executive Committee of the World Travel and Tourism Council
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1928) is the founding CEO of Emirates and currently the Executive Vice-Chairman of The Emirates Group
The Emirates Group
The Emirates Group is a public international travel and tourism conglomerate holding company headquartered in Garhoud, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, by Dubai International Airport. The Emirates Group comprises Dnata, an aviation services company providing ground handling services at 17 airports and...
. He was born in 1928 in Leigh
Leigh, Greater Manchester
Leigh is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Wigan, and west of Manchester. Leigh is situated on low lying land to the north west of Chat Moss....
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In 1955, he married Audrey Bolton, a journalist, with whom he has three children and five grandchildren.
Flanagan attended Lymm Grammar School and Liverpool University, where he gained a BA in History and French. He performed his National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the RAF as a navigator
Navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
with the rank of commissioned officer. During an evening outing, he suffered a knee injury that ruled out a potential career as a football player, which Blackburn Rovers had shown interest in fostering. Abandoning an athletic profession in 1953, he joined BOAC
Boac
Boac may refer to:* Boac, Marinduque, a municipality in the Southern Philippines* Boac , an American rapper* British Overseas Airways Corporation, a former British state-owned airline...
as a management trainee, subsequently working for the airline in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the UK.
In 1969, Flanagan was one of the winners of a TV playwriting competition run by the Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspaper and ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's Saturday Night Theatre
Saturday Night Theatre
Saturday Night Theatre was a long-running radio drama strand on BBC Radio 4. The strand showcased feature-length, middle-brow single plays on Saturday evenings for more than 50 years, having been lanched in April 1943. The plays featured in the strand included stage plays, books adaptations and...
with "The Garbler Strategy", a satire on management theory that starred Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter was an English actor known for his roles as Rupert Rigsby, in the British comedy television series Rising Damp , and Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin...
. Kenneth Tynan
Kenneth Tynan
Kenneth Peacock Tynan was an influential and often controversial English theatre critic and writer.-Early life:...
, one of the competition judges, invited Flanagan to write for the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, where Tynan was literary advisor. Flanagan chose the more sure route of a promising airline career.
Maurice Flanagan spent 25 years with BOAC and British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
, until he was seconded from BA's senior management to Dnata
Dnata
Dnata is one of the largest suppliers of combined air services in the world offering ground handling, cargo, travel, and flight catering services across five continents. With a global footprint of 37 countries, Dnata employs over 20,000 employees for its operations worldwide.-History:Dnata was...
, the organisation appointed by the government of Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
to run its travel and airport interests.
In 1985, the Dubai government employed Flanagan to launch Emirates. The fledgling airline received $10 million start-up capital that it repaid the following year, marking its immediate success.
Flanagan was awarded a CBE in 2000 for services to communities in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
and to aviation, and KBE in the 2010 Birthday Honours
2010 Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours 2010 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 7 June 2010 in New Zealand and 12 June 2010 in United Kingdom to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2010.-Knights Bachelor:*Professor John Rex Beddington CMG, for science...
.
Other awards include Flight International
Flight International
Flight International is a global aerospace weekly publication produced in the UK. Founded in 1909, it is the world's oldest continuously published aviation news magazine...
magazine's Personality of the Year, membership of the British Travel Industry Hall of Fame, Aviation Legend award by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a multidisciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community.-Function:...
and Honorary Fellow (the Society's highest award), Liveryman of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators
Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators
The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Guild was established in 1929 and was granted the status of a Livery Company in 1956...
, and membership of the Executive Committee of the World Travel and Tourism Council
World Travel and Tourism Council
The World Travel & Tourism Council was conceptualized in the early 1980s when a group of CEOs came to the realization that although Travel & Tourism was the largest service industry in the world and the biggest provider of jobs, nobody knew it...
.