Emirates' Sir Maurice awarded Guild of Honour for outstanding services

 
He received the award on Thursday at GAPAN’s prestigious Annual Trophies & Awards Dinner in the City of London’s Guildhall.  GAPAN is one of the City of London’s Modern Livery Companies.  Its main objective is to set and maintain high standards of safety and conduct among pilots and navigators, and provide expert, impartial advice on all aspects of flying.
 
Sir Maurice has been a pivotal figure in the growth of Emirates from its inception into the highly respected, major global airline that it is today.  The award citation notes `The success of Emirates is in no small measure due to the overall contribution of Sir Maurice Flanagan`.
 
Sir Maurice Flanagan joined BOAC, the forerunner of British Airways, in 1953 as a graduate trainee after commissioned service in the Royal Air Force as a navigator. He rose through a variety of overseas posts to area manager level, and returned to the United Kingdom in 1965 as a route planning manager. He joined British Airways' senior management team in 1974 and in 1978 left to become Managing Director of Dnata, the forerunner of Emirates and now its sister company. He became Managing Director of Emirates when the airline began operations in 1985 and he was appointed Group Managing Director of the Emirates Group in 1990. He became Vice Chairman and Group President in July 2003 and was appointed Executive Vice Chairman in 2006.