EasyJet axing head office roles ahead of £5.7bn takeover

Airline easyJet has confirmed plans to cut head office jobs ahead of its £5.7 billion private equity takeover.The Luton-based carrier is understood to be consulting on proposals that could see up to about 50 head office roles axed out of a 2,300-strong team.It comes after easyJet agreed in July to a takeover for 715p a share by US firm Apollo, which also owns firms such as Wagamama-owner, The Restaurant Group.Shareholders are voting on the deal on Wednesday and, if approved, it is expected to complete in the first quarter of 2027.It is understood that the job cuts are not linked to Apollo or the takeover.EasyJet confirmed it was looking at cutting jobs across its head office workforce after it was reported in The Times.An easyJet spokesperson said: “Our people are integral to easyJet’s success and as a low-cost airline we always operate efficiently so we can keep fares low for our customers and invest in future growth opportunities.“These proposals affect a very small proportion of head office roles to ensure we are best set up to support the business’ ambitious plans.”Unions in the UK and Europe have voiced concerns over possible job cuts at easyJet after the Apollo deal and debts that would be heaped onto the airline’s balance sheet.Apollo has vowed not to cut any jobs for a year after completing the takeover.But the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) trade union has raised concerns, saying recently that “important questions remain regarding the long-term implications of the transaction”.It added: “Balpa’s principal concern is the extent to which the transaction may affect employees beyond the 12-month period covered by the statements of intention.”Read MoreEasyJet was founded by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou in 1995 to offer a low-cost alternative to British Airways and it has since expanded to be one of the largest networks across Europe.Sir Stelios and his family, who own about 15% of the business, have given the takeover their support.Apollo secured the deal after winning in a takeover tussle with US investment firm Castlelake.Castlelake had previously made a £5.5 billion, or 690p a share, proposal to buy easyJet, but walked away from the bidding war in August.