Emirates president Tim Clark has been knighted in the New Year Honours list.
The British CEO joined the Gulf airline when it launched in 1985 and became its president in 2003.
He was recognised for "services to British prosperity and to the aviation industry".
Before joining Emirates, Clark worked for four years at Gulf Air as a route planner.
Emirates is now one of the world's biggest airlines and operates the largest fleet of A380s — it currently has 44 superjumbos and a further 96 on order (see news, December 23).
Yesterday, it was revealed that 5,337,544 passengers travelled through Dubai International airport — Emirates' hub — in November, up 9.5 per cent on the same period last year (see news, December 30).
Graham Smith