High-flying knight of sky ran Emirates
Flanagan promoted sponsorships
Maurice Flanagan was the founder and longserving managing director of Emirates, the Dubaibased airline.
Flanagan, who died May 7 at 86, first worked in Dubai in 1978 on secondment from British Airways. He became managing director of the Dubai National Air Transport Association and an adviser to the ruling Maktoum family, who took up his idea that the oil-rich Gulf state should have its own carrier. Emirates started in 1985 with two leased aircraft, 10 staff and a budget of $10 million.
Flanagan initially shared an office with Emirates’ first chairman, the young Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum (son of the then ruler Sheikh Saeed), who observed later: “When you see some good in me, you see what Maurice taught me.”
Their closeness gave the airline what Flanagan called “the chemistry of a family business” — which encompassed quick decision-making and the freedom to exercise his own ideas.
That included psychometric testing of all cabin crew applicants (“Those who didn’t want to be nice to others got rejected”) and a belief that generalized marketing “means nothing.” He preferred to raise the airline’s profile through sports sponsorship around the world, most notably a $156-million deal with Arsenal that included naming rights to its new stadium that opened in 2006.
Emirates grew to be the world’s biggest international carrier and seventh largest by revenue, with a fleet of more than 220 aircraft and a reputation for ultra-opulent service. The airline contributed substantial profits to its owners year after year. Flanagan served as managing director until 2003 and thereafter as vice-chairman until 2013.
Flanagan was born at Leigh, England on Nov. 17, 1928. He studied history and French at Liverpool University, graduating in 1950.
Flanagan got a tryout with Blackburn Rovers soccer team and was told to report back after military service. He joined the Royal Air Force and was sent to train as a navigation officer in Canada. While here he fell into a hole one night after a party, snapping a knee ligament and ending any hope of a return to soccer.