I don’t think it was so much the loss of Sir MF that changed the company, but more the inevitability that the boom years of Dubai would end with the GFC. The issue is, that the downturn was exacerbated and accelerated by the people who were left in charge. Instead of going from the biggest player to a major player, the company has been allowed to deteriorate to the point where things may not be fixed in the long-term.
Hats off to those who called it as Gulf Air 2.0. Not quite the same circumstances, but similar fall from grace.
At least there are still a few quality individuals on the front line, even if they’re all long-gone at management level. Got the utmost respect for those that stick it out, far thicker skin than I could ever dream of having
