News · November 12, 2026, 18:32 UTC
EasyJet shareholders approved Apollo Global Management’s £5.7 billion ($7.61 billion) cash takeover at court and general meetings held on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, according to the airline’s announcement as reported by BBC News and Yahoo Finance.
The vote clears the biggest shareholder hurdle for one of Europe’s largest private-equity airline buyouts.
The deal, which the board agreed on August 6, 2026, will end easyJet’s more than 26 years on the London stock market and place the Luton-based carrier under US ownership.
Completion is expected before the end of March 2027, although this remains subject to court sanction and other remaining approvals.
What happened
At the court meeting, shareholders holding 97.07% of the shares voted in favor of the scheme of arrangement, against 2.93% opposed, according to figures released by easyJet and reported by Yahoo Finance. That represented 287,233,404 votes for and 8,656,206 against.
The supporting shares accounted for 37.89% of the issued capital eligible to vote, per Business Insider Africa, while Yahoo Finance put the shares represented at the meeting at 39.03% of eligible capital.
Measured by participating shareholders rather than shares, 289 of the 334 investors who voted, or 83.29%, backed the deal, with 16.71% opposed. A separate resolution at the general meeting drew 96.67% support, with 3.33% against and 387,424 votes withheld.
Apollo is offering 715 pence in cash per easyJet share through Eagle Bidco Ltd, an entity indirectly owned by funds managed by Apollo. According to Business Insider Africa, the £5.7 billion price represents an 81% premium to the airline’s share price before takeover speculation began. The scheme document was published on October 15, 2026.
EasyJet applied restrictions to voting rights at the general meeting to comply with European airline ownership rules, suspending rights attached to 233,921,894 shares held by non-EU shareholders.
Consequently, EU persons held approximately 35.07% of issued shares at the time of the meeting, Yahoo Finance reported.
Apollo prevailed in a bidding contest with US investment firm Castlelake, which had proposed £5.5 billion, or 690 pence a share, and walked away from the process in August, according to BBC News.
Founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and his family, who own just over 15% of the business, backed the takeover.
Analysis: Why it matters for investors
For public-market investors, the approval marks the effective end of easyJet as a listed company.
Holders who accept the scheme stand to receive 715 pence per share in cash; those who choose to roll their stake into the new ownership vehicle face a different risk profile, and a City AM analysis of takeover documents found that rolling investors could have their stake seized unilaterally and are highly unlikely to be paid a dividend.
The premium is the central number for assessing the outcome: at 81% above the pre-speculation share price, the offer exceeded the 700-pence threshold some investors had reportedly been holding out for, City AM noted.
That may temper arguments that shareholders settled for too little, though the vote itself shows a minority opposed.
Operationally, private ownership could change disclosure and governance norms. Apollo has committed to retain the easyJet brand and keep the airline’s UK headquarters and operating licenses in Britain, Austria and Switzerland, and has pledged no job cuts for a full year after completion.
Whether those commitments hold over time is a matter for monitoring, not assumption.
Who is affected
Shareholders are the most directly affected: the 97.07% court-meeting majority sets the terms for the remaining holders, subject to court sanction. Employees face mixed signals.
BBC News reported easyJet is understood to be consulting on proposals that could cut up to about 50 head office roles from a 2,300-strong team, while City AM reported the airline is planning redundancies before the deal closes to reduce costs amid the ongoing Iran conflict.
Apollo’s one-year no-cuts commitment applies after completion.
EasyJet’s network outside Europe is also in scope.
The transaction includes routes across Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Cape Verde, as well as the airline’s first permanent African base, opened in Marrakech in 2026 with three aircraft and as many as 100 direct jobs, supporting 58 Moroccan routes and four million seats in its first year, Business Insider Africa reported.
Morocco is described by easyJet as its fastest-growing market outside Europe.
Regulators remain in the picture. EU authorities have yet to sanction the transaction, City AM noted, amid questions over whether Apollo will satisfy the bloc’s rule that airlines be majority-owned and controlled by European citizens.
Apollo has said Haji-Ioannou’s continued involvement, combined with placing five percent of its own stake into an EU trust, addresses that framework.
What is still uncertain
The transaction is not complete.
It still requires court sanction and the satisfaction or waiver of other conditions, and easyJet expects effectiveness before the end of the first quarter of 2027. The precise timing of court and EU regulatory decisions has not been disclosed, and the sources do not detail the final ownership structure Apollo will adopt.
The scale of any head office redundancies is also not finalized, with BBC News describing the proposals as under consultation.
Conclusion: What to watch next
The next milestones are the court sanction of the scheme and EU regulatory clearance, both of which are required before the deal can close.
Investors should watch whether the March 2027 timetable holds, how the EU ownership-and-control question is resolved, and whether the pre-completion cost measures at easyJet’s head office proceed as reported.
For the airline’s African expansion, meanwhile, the Marrakech base and Moroccan routes will be the clearest test of whether new ownership changes the growth trajectory.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did easyJet shareholders approve the Apollo takeover?
Shareholders voted at court and general meetings on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. At the court meeting, 97.07% of shares voted were in favor of the scheme.
How much is Apollo paying for easyJet?
Apollo is offering 715 pence in cash per easyJet share, valuing the airline at £5.7 billion ($7.61 billion). Business Insider Africa reported the offer represents an 81% premium to the share price before takeover speculation began.
When is the takeover expected to complete?
EasyJet expects the transaction to become effective before the end of the first quarter of 2027. Completion remains subject to court sanction and other outstanding approvals.
What happens to easyJet's London Stock Exchange listing?
The deal will end easyJet's more than 26 years on the London stock market, according to BBC News. The airline listed in London in 2000.
Will Apollo keep easyJet's brand and headquarters?
Apollo plans to retain the easyJet brand and keep the airline's UK headquarters and operating licenses in Britain, Austria and Switzerland, according to Business Insider Africa. Apollo has also committed to avoid job cuts for a full year after the deal is tied up.
AI Notice: This article was created wholly or predominantly with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was published without human editorial review.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute investment advice. Always do your own research before making trading decisions.