easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou is expected to seek the departure of four directors in the next shareholder meeting on May 22, 2020. The airline announced its intention to resume some flights starting from June 15, 2020.
Haji-Ioannou versus Airbus: the conclusion?
The end of the spat between the founder and the board of easyJet could come on May 22, 2020, as the former is expected to meet the latter for a thorough questioning regarding their ties with Airbus.
Haji-Ioannou wants to know if any of the directors had contacts with three lawyers who had reportedly worked with Airbus in the past, Sky News reports. A vote should be held during the meeting regarding the position of CEO Johan Lundgren.
The businessman, whose family holds 34% of easyJet’s shares, entered an influence war to cancel an order for 107 Airbus A320neo aircraft for a value of £4.5 billion (€5.13 billion), which he qualifies as “the largest single threat to the solvency of the company”. On May 13, 2020, he even offered a £5 million reward to any whistleblower that could provide him with information that could lead to the cancellation.
easyJet to resume some flights
The airline announced its intention to resume certain flights mostly domestic and regional flights, with specific health measures on board from June 15, 2020.
“A small number of mainly domestic flights, from 21 European airports will restart from 15 June,” announced the airline in a press release. “The airline expects to increase flying as customer demand continues to build and restrictions are relaxed.” Currently, most of easyJet’s fleet of more than 300 Airbus A320s is grounded due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on passenger demand. The aircraft were kept “in a flight-ready condition,” according to the carrier.
easyJet will introduce health safety measures on board, similar to what its competitor Ryanair already presented. Passengers will have to wear masks and will be provided with disinfectant and anti-bacterial wipes, aircraft will be cleaned more regularly, and no food will be served for a while.
