Sir Tim Clark is to retire from his position as president of Emirates in June 2020 but will stay on as a consultant to help smooth the path of his successor.

Since taking up his present position in 2003, Clark, who turned 70 in November, has overseen the transformation of Emirates into one of the world’s premier international airlines. He began his career with British Caledonian before making a name for himself as a route planner with Gulf Air. He became a member of Emirates’ founding team in 1985.

He hinted in an interview with Airline Ratings in November that the airline's chief operating officer, Adel Al Redha, and chief commercial officer, Adnan Kazim, were candidates to replace him. Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of Flydubai, whose operations have increasingly dovetailed with those of Emirates in the past decade, is also believed to be in the running.

“If I could get a UAE national to replace me it would be good,” he said. “Running a company this size by an ex-pat is a bit embarrassing. We have a very strong cadre in our senior management, both national and expatriate. Now we are far more mature in our ability to deal with the succession.”