EasyJet investors give green light to £5.7bn takeover by Apollo

More than 97% of easyJet shareholders have voted through the £5.7 billion takeover by US investment group Apollo.The Luton-based airline said 97.07% backed the deal at a meeting of investors on Wednesday, with 2.93% voting against.The carrier said it expects the takeover to complete by the end of March next year.Apollo, which also owns firms such as Wagamama-owner The Restaurant Group, agreed the deal with easyJet's board in August at 715p a share.The takeover will end more than 26 years on the London stock market and put easyJet into US ownership.Apollo won the deal after a takeover tussle with US investment firm Castlelake.Castlelake had made a £5.5 billion, or 690p a share, proposal to buy easyJet, but walked away from the bidding war in August.Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who founded easyJet in 1995 as a low-cost alternative to British Airways, and his family own just over 15% of the business.They have given the takeover their support.The airline has since expanded to be one of the largest networks across Europe.