Around 50 easyJet Head Office Roles at Risk Before Its £5.7 Billion (About $7.6 Billion) Takeover Vote

UK airline easyJet has confirmed plans to cut head office jobs, with the Luton-based carrier understood to be consulting on proposals that could see up to about 50 head office roles axed out of a 2,300-strong team. The timing is tight. Shareholders are voting on the deal on Wednesday, on a cash offer of £7.15 in cash for each easyJet share (about $9.56) from Eagle Bidco, a company indirectly owned by the Apollo Funds, which values easyJet's share capital at approximately £5.7 billion (about $7.6 billion). The takeover is not done. It still needs two shareholder votes plus the sanction of the Court and other conditions before it can take effect. For Metaintro readers who work at easyJet, or who want to join it, this guide covers what is known about the cuts, what Apollo has promised staff in its formal offer, what UK law requires on consultation and redundancy pay, and where the airline is still hiring.

What Exactly Is easyJet Proposing for Its Head Office?

The airline confirmed it was looking at cutting jobs across its head office workforce after The Times reported on it. The proposals are understood to be at the consultation stage and cover head office roles.

EasyJet has not named the teams, job grades or locations involved, and it has not given a date for any final decision. An easyJet spokesperson said the airline, as a low-cost carrier, always operates efficiently so it can keep fares low and invest in future growth.

Head office is one of the career areas on the easyJet careers site, listed alongside pilots, cabin crew, engineering and maintenance, and IT and data. Head office roles are pitched there as a way to make the customer front and centre, and fly higher than ever before, all while on the ground.

These proposals affect a very small proportion of head office roles to ensure we are best set up to support the business' ambitious plans, an easyJet spokesperson said, according to the RTÉ report on the cuts.

Are the Cuts Linked to the Apollo Takeover?

It is understood that the job cuts are not linked to Apollo or the takeover, though easyJet's on-record statement does not address the link.

The offer document gives staff a reason to read the two side by side. Apollo's formal offer flags that after the deal, certain headquarter functions which have historically been related to easyJet's status as a listed company may no longer be required or will be reduced in size once the airline stops being a listed company and re-registers as a private limited company.

So there are two separate things to watch. One is the current head office consultation, which is happening while easyJet is still listed. The other is a possible later review of listed-company functions, which Apollo has flagged for after the deal completes. Neither has a published list of affected jobs.

What Did Apollo Promise easyJet Staff in Its Offer?

Apollo's promises sit in its formal Rule 2.7 offer announcement of 6 August 2026, and the exact words matter more than the headline version. The short version, no job cuts for a year after completing the takeover, is broader than the offer text. Apollo and Bidco do not intend to make any headcount reductions in the 12 months following the Acquisition becoming Effective that will be material in the context of the easyJet Group.

That wording leaves room for small cuts, and the same section spells that out. Right after the 12-month line comes the head office warning above, which may impact a limited number of roles in specific areas.

Other parts of the offer are firmer for staff. Apollo confirmed that existing contractual and statutory employment rights and terms and conditions of employment, including pension rights, of the easyJet Group's management and employees will be fully safeguarded in accordance with applicable law. Apollo also does not intend to change the current employer pension contribution arrangements, the accrual of benefits for existing members or the rights of admission of new members. Nor does it have any intention of changing the location or functions of the easyJet Group's headquarters in the United Kingdom or its operating licences in the UK, Austria and Switzerland, a point repeated on the easyJet takeover questions page.

On process, Apollo and Bidco would approach the headcount reductions they describe in an open and transparent manner, working with management and any appropriate employee representative bodies in line with their legal obligations, and would start that process sufficiently far in advance of any final decision on headcount reductions being made.

Apollo and Bidco place a high value on people and believe that identifying and retaining key staff within the easyJet Group will be of paramount importance, according to the Rule 2.7 offer announcement.

What Are Unions and Staff Groups Saying?

Unions have been raising the job question since August. The pilots' union Balpa has raised concerns, saying its main worry is how far the deal may affect employees beyond the 12-month period covered by the statements of intention. Earlier, in August, the union pledged to work with Apollo, and Chris Jones, its Director for Industrial Relations and Employment Policy, said its priorities include employment security, pensions, fatigue management and continued engagement between management and flight crews.

Prospect, which describes itself as the professional union for aviation, set out its view in a statement of 20 August 2026. Its complaint is that the job commitments, while welcome, are limited to a 12‑month period and are expressed as intentions rather than binding undertakings. Prospect is asking for stronger and longer-term commitments to employment security, protection for collective bargaining and meaningful engagement with recognised trade unions.

The airline's European Works Council objected to employment commitments it describes as nonbinding and lasting only 12 months, Reuters reported, as carried by Airways Magazine. Staff bodies in France, Portugal and Spain also withheld endorsement, while bodies in Britain and Germany took a neutral position on the financial terms, Reuters reported.

When Is the Takeover Vote, and What Still Has to Happen?

The vote happens on Wednesday in two parts. The Court Meeting starts at 10.00 a.m. on 11 November 2026, and the General Meeting follows at 10.15 a.m. or as soon as the Court Meeting concludes or is adjourned, at the London offices of the airline's lawyers.

Both votes need a high bar. Each meeting needs 75% approval, and the Court Meeting adds a second test, a majority in number of the shareholders who vote, as set out in the scheme publication announcement. The founder's family, which holds about 15.3% of the airline's shares, has given irrevocable undertakings to vote for the deal.

A yes vote does not finish the deal. The scheme also needs the sanction of the Court and other conditions, and it is expected to take effect before the end of the first calendar quarter of 2027. The latest date for it to take effect, known as the long-stop date, is 11.59 p.m. on 6 August 2027, unless a later date is agreed by easyJet and Bidco or set with the Takeover Panel's involvement. That means the job window in Apollo's offer runs from the Acquisition becoming Effective, not from the date of the vote.

How Much Is the Deal Worth, and Has the Price Changed?

You may see two totals for the same offer. The figure in the title comes from Apollo's firm offer announcement of 6 August. On 15 October the scheme document valued easyJet's issued and to-be-issued share capital at approximately £5.6bn (about $7.5 billion), Airways Magazine reported, while the cash price for each share is the same price set out in the August 6 announcement.

The price followed a bidding contest. Castlelake had a fourth proposal of £6.50 a share (about $8.69) rejected in June, and on 5 July, in a joint announcement with Castlelake, the board was minded to recommend the financial terms of a £6.90 a share proposal (about $9.22). That Castlelake approach was a £5.5 billion, or 690 pence a share, proposal (about $7.4 billion). Apollo then submitted a higher proposal in July, and on 6 August 2026, Castlelake confirmed that it did not intend to make a firm offer.

Apollo's price is a premium of around 81% to easyJet's share price before takeover speculation began, measured against a Closing Price of £3.94 (about $5.27). For staff, the scale of the business behind that price matters too. EasyJet carries over 100 million customers across 37 countries each year and had 356 aircraft (as at 31 March 2026).

What Does UK Law Say About a Redundancy Consultation?

UK rules set a floor for how this has to be done. An employer must follow collective consultation rules when it makes 20 or more employees redundant within any 90-day period at a single establishment. Where there are fewer than 20, there are no set rules to follow, although it is good practice to fully consult employees and their representatives. Skipping consultation still carries risk, because redundancies made without it will almost certainly be unfair.

If the head office proposals reach 20 or more roles at one site within 90 days, the 20 to 99 band would apply. For that band, consultation must start at least 30 days before any dismissals take effect, and the employer must notify the Redundancy Payments Service 30 days before the first redundancy. The company has to give written details including how it plans to select employees for redundancy and how it will work out redundancy payments.

In a collective consultation, staff speak through a representative. That is either a trade union rep (if you're represented by a trade union) or an elected employee rep if you are not represented by a union or your union is not recognised. If you are affected, you can stand for election as an employee rep or vote for others. The consultation must cover ways to avoid redundancies, the reasons for the cuts, how to keep the number of dismissals to a minimum and how to limit the effect on staff, for example through retraining.

How Much Redundancy Pay Would an easyJet Head Office Worker Get?

The legal minimum depends on age, pay and years served. You are normally owed statutory redundancy pay if you are an employee who has worked for your current employer for 2 years or more. The formula gives one week's pay for each full year you were 22 or older, but under 41, half a week for years under 22, and one and a half weeks for years at 41 or older.

There are caps. For anyone made redundant on or after 6 April 2026, weekly pay is capped at £751 and the maximum statutory redundancy pay you can get is £22,530 (about $1,004 and about $30,120). Length of service counts for 20 years at most, and you have 6 months from the date your job ends to claim.

These are minimums. EasyJet has not published any enhanced redundancy terms for this round. You can lose the statutory payment if your employer offers you suitable alternative work which you refuse without good reason, so treat any redeployment offer during consultation seriously.

Is easyJet Still Hiring While It Cuts Head Office Jobs?

Yes, in other parts of the business. The featured roles on the easyJet careers site, on its current page, include a B1 Licensed Engineer post in the UK, network control roles in the UK and A320 rated captains at London Gatwick. The site also lists an annual bonus of up to 20% and share schemes among its staff perks.

What This Means for easyJet Staff and Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

The real story here is the gap between the headline promise and the fine print. A year with no job cuts sounds like a guarantee. The offer text covers only cuts material in the context of the easyJet Group and warns that listed-company head office work may shrink, and Prospect calls the commitments intentions rather than binding undertakings. So head office staff should plan as if their role could be reviewed twice, once in the current consultation and again after the deal completes.

If you work in easyJet's head office, act now rather than after Wednesday's vote. Work out your statutory minimum using the formula above, so you know what any enhanced offer is really worth. Compare your skills with the roles featured on easyJet's current careers page.

If you want to join easyJet, the cuts are not a signal to stay away from the airline as a whole, because engineering, network control and captain roles are featured on its careers site. Other aviation employers have also set out restructuring plans this autumn, from Swedavia's redundancy notice for head office staff to KLM's plan to reorganise thousands of positions.

Lacey Kaelani, Metaintro's CEO, puts it this way: A takeover promise is only as strong as its exact wording, so read the offer document yourself, then update your CV before anyone asks you to.

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People Also Asked

Q: How many easyJet jobs are being cut?

A: EasyJet 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, and the airline has not named the teams affected.

Q: When do easyJet shareholders vote on the Apollo takeover?

A: The Court Meeting and the General Meeting are both set for 11 November 2026, and the deal is expected to take effect before the end of the first quarter of 2027 if it is approved and sanctioned.

Q: Has Apollo promised no job cuts at easyJet?

A: Apollo said it does not intend to make headcount cuts in the 12 months following the Acquisition becoming Effective that will be material in the context of the easyJet Group, and it also said some listed-company head office roles may be reduced.

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