Overview
- A joint announcement on Thursday said the easyJet board recommended Apollo’s cash offer of €8.35 per share, valuing the airline at about €6.7 billion and gaining support from founder Stelios Haji‑Ioannou and his family.
- Rival bidder Castlelake formally withdrew from the contest, clearing the way for Apollo to seek to take easyJet private after months of competing offers.
- The transaction remains conditional on shareholder votes and review by British and European aviation regulators, who require majority European ownership and effective European control of airlines.
- Apollo has not published detailed long‑term plans for easyJet, pilots have voiced job concerns, and the firm has denied plans to break up the carrier while saying it will take steps to meet ownership rules.
- EasyJet’s value rests on its airport slots, modern Airbus fleet and growing package‑holiday business, and market observers say private ownership could enable fresh capital or strategic changes that may reshape routes or operations.