Former British PM Margaret Thatcher was impressed by Mohammed’s supervision of Dubai airport

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

An old secret document dating back to April 27, 1981 and appearing for the first time showed that during her visit to the UAE in 1981, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher – the Iron Lady – who was considered the most powerful prime minister in British history, expressed her admiration for the way His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who was 30 at the time, managed and supervised the Dubai Airport.

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Thatcher said: “I visited Dubai International Airport on a tour with Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed, Ruler of Dubai, and was surprised how a young man in his thirties, Mohammed Bin Rashid, son of the Ruler of Dubai, who was overseeing the airport, made all these achievements, while the British government and the highly experienced management of Heathrow Airport is unable to solve the airport’s problems.”

The document showed Thatcher’s admiration for the well organised Dubai Airport and her feeling of frustration with Heathrow Airport for failing to improve. Thatcher said in the document that an airport gives the first impression to visitors about the country’s reputation and the Ministry of Transport in her country should start immediately to prepare a plan to improve the Heathrow Airport because it is extremely bad. “We have to learn from Dubai Airport.”