Emirates’ Vice Chairman and Group President, Maurice Flanagan, has been honoured with a major international aviation award for helping establish Emirates as “one of the greatest success stories of modern times”.
Mr Flanagan is only the second recipient ever of the Official Airline Guide (OAG) Lifetime Achievement Award.
It was presented both for his part in developing the Dubai-based international carrier into a major global airline, and also for his more than 50 years of dedicated service to the aviation industry.
Mr Flanagan received the honour during the 23rd annual OAG Airline of the Year Awards 2005 ceremony at the Park Lane Hotel in London. One of the biggest events on the international travel calendar, it was attended by senior industry executives from across the industry.
Eddie Bell, Chairman of OAG, said: “In its near 20 year history, Emirates Airline has won every conceivable award for excellence and airline service. Emirates is one of the greatest success stories of modern times and no one more deserves taking credit for those achievements than Maurice Flanagan. He is an inspiration to many in the airline industry.”
Mr Flanagan responded by saying: “I am deeply honoured to receive this prestigious award, but behind every award winner is a great team and that is just what we have at Emirates. We have been lucky enough to win more than 270 awards in less than 20 years of operation and that’s because we put our customers first, at the forefront of our thinking and our daily operation.
He added: “To deliver great customer service everyone counts in the company – be they on the ground or in the air, at our home base of Dubai and those working around the world. So while I accept this honour, it is an accolade that is shared with all 25,000 in the Emirates Group team.”
The presentation of the OAG Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr Flanagan came barely two weeks after his induction into the exclusive British Travel Industry Hall of Fame. The honour was established to recognise the excellence and outstanding achievement of those who have played a significant part in creating and developing the travel and tourism industry in Britain and globally.
Last year Mr Flanagan received a double recognition when he was named winner of the Airline Business Award and later as Personality of the Year by Flight International magazine.
The OAG Lifetime Achievement Award was presented only once previously, in 2004, to British Airways’ outgoing Chairman, Lord Colin Marshall.
