DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Colm McLoughlin, an Irishman who landed in the deserts of the United Arab Emirates and helped turn Dubai Duty Free into a billion-dollar airport retail giant, died. He was 81 years old.

McLoughlin ran Dubai Duty Free from 1983 until his retirement earlier this year, a period of more than 40 years that saw Dubai transform from a creekside trading port to a a modern metropoliswhich is home to the tallest building in the world and other attractions.

And all the millions of passengers arriving at Dubai International Airport, now the busiest in the world for international travelsaw the rows of electronics, cigarettes, cigars, alcohol and other products available duty-free in its stores, hawked by a salesman in a green suit jacket, yellow tie and conversing in several languages.

“It’s a very Middle Eastern thing,” McLoughlin told the Los Angeles Times in 1987 while pitching the gold market. “We have to cater to a lot of tastes.”

Dubai Duty Free said in a statement that McLoughlin died on Wednesday following a short illness, without providing further details. The operation’s new chief executive, Ramesh Cidambi, praised McLoughlin for leading its “growth into a $2 billion business with more than 6,000 employees at the time of his retirement.”

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, CEO of long-haul carrier Emirates and chairman of Dubai Duty Free, offered his condolences.

“His passion, commitment and pioneering spirit left a lasting legacy,” Sheikh Ahmed said in a post on social platform X.

Born in Ballinasloe, Ireland, in 1943, McLoughlin joined Shannon Airport’s first duty-free operation in 1969. In July 1983, he came with a team of 10 men to Dubai to set up the duty-free shop from Sandy Airport. operation. His six-month contract ultimately stretched over 40 years.

Like the rest of the aviation industry, Dubai Duty Free was hit hard during the 2000s. the coronavirus pandemic and airline groundings. But sales have since rebounded. In 2023 alone, under McLoughlin, Dubai Duty Free sold 6 million cans of beer, 2.3 million bottles of whiskey, 2.3 million cartons of cigarettes, 10.2 million cigars and 3.3 million perfume bottles.

A significant segment was Chinese travelers, after Dubai Duty Free worked to accept their credit cards, staff spoke Mandarin and brought them the products they wanted.

“We would be fools if we didn’t take advantage of them and try to serve them,” McLoughlin told the Associated Press in 2012.

And many teary-eyed travelers at Dubai’s massive airport have tried their luck in the constant raffles on offer, whether for $1 million, a luxury automobile or a racing motorcycle.

McLoughlin was also known for Dubai Duty Free’s sponsorship of tennis and golf tournaments, as well as his work supporting Dubai’s Irish community. He received the Irish Presidential Award for Distinguished Service in 2014.

“Colm McLoughlin is an integral part of the Irish community in the UAE,” reads his award citation. “Both during his highly successful professional career at Dubai Duty Free and in his leadership roles within almost every Irish organisation, Colm McLouglin has played a hugely positive role in promoting Irish interests in the UAE.

McLoughlin is survived by his wife Breeda, son Niall, daughters Tyna and Mandy and their families.