EasyJet has attracted takeover interest from private credit firm Castlelake, raising the possibility that the British budget airline could be the latest UK-listed company to be taken off the stock market.
Castlelake on Friday said it was in the “early stages of considering a possible offer” for easyJet, but had not made any approach to the company’s board. The firm, which is majority owned by Brookfield Asset Management, cautioned that there was no certainty it would bid for the group. EasyJet declined to comment.
Shares in easyJet, which has expanded into holidays amid increased competition from Ryanair and Wizz Air, have fallen by a third in the past year and lost more than half of their value over the past five years. Its shares closed on Friday at 398p, giving it a value of about £3bn.