£5.7B easyJet buyout gets shareholder greenlight as CEO hails win for passengers and staff

On Wednesday morning, 11 November, easyJet announced that its shareholders had approved a plan for Apollo Global Management, an American asset and private equity firm, to takeover the company in a deal worth £5.7 billion.

The deal –which will be one of the largest of its kind involving the private equity acquisition of a European airline– is expected to be completed before the end of the first calendar quarter of 2027.

The takeover was approved by a large majority of the company’s shareholders. This will ultimately mean that easyJet exits the London stock market once completed. According to its official documents, 35% of the company’s shares are owned by EU nationals.

easyJet says this will benefit passengers

At the Airlines 2026 conference held in London on Wednesday, easyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis said that the deal was a “very good thing” for passengers.

“We’ve obviously spoken to Apollo and it’s clear that they support the strategy that we have and see great opportunities to accelerate it.”

He added that the carriers’ core ethos will remain intact. “When we think about our strategy and our purpose of making low-cost travel easy, affordable and accessible for as many people as possible, then that will remain the purpose of easyJet, and we will look to provide the products and the services that our customers value.”

Jarvis added that the deal was both exciting and “good for the future.”

Obtaining regulatory approval

A primary hurdle for the deal is regulatory compliance. easyJet holds several Air Operators Certificates (AOCs) across Europe, including in the UK, Austria and Switzerland. As such, it will need to obtain regulatory approval from the Civil Aviation Authorities in each of these countries.

The company has also had to submit competition filings, which Jarvis explains have been progressing well. “A lot of those are starting to come through now: approved, approved, approved,” he said.

“We haven’t had an issue with competition filings because Apollo doesn’t own any airlines in Europe, and therefore there’s no real change in terms of the landscape. So it’s down for the regulators.

Disquiet from trade unions

The deal has faced criticism from trade unions, with the European Works Council –that represents the airline’s employees across Europe– warning that it would weaken the company’s long-term resilience.

But Jarvis believes the agreement brings plenty of good.

“I think for the staff it’s a very positive thing because it’s a positive thing for the company.”

He added that many of the staff are also shareholders, who voted in Wednesday’s meeting to approve the takeover.

“It’s very good for us because we can continue to grow and look to execute in our strategy.”

Will Apollo’s takeover result in a new strategy for easyJet?

Apollo has previously outlined its broad plans for easyJet following its acquisition. It hopes to continue the airline’s fleet modernisation and expansion plans, enhance its ancillary and loyalty offerings and scale its Holidays business.

Jarvis reiterated these elements on Wednesday, boasting the carrier’s “strong” and “flexible” orderbook, including the introduction of additional A320 family jets to replace its older A319s. The company has previously said it hopes to withdraw the smaller jets from its fleet by 2030.

“That gives great benefits in terms of not only the environment and the carbon footprint, but also the cost of operating those aircraft and then that will give good value to the customer,” he said.

The carrier will also launch a new loyalty programme next year. It currently offers its easyJet Plus scheme, which passengers can buy into to take advantage of a range of perks including free carry-on bags, fast-track security and extra-legroom seats.

The new programme will “help deepen engagement with our customers and also reward our customers for their loyalty, which is great.”

He adds that the easyJet Holidays offering continues to grow.