{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-15/apollo-easyjet-takeover-union-pushback","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-15/apollo-easyjet-takeover-union-pushback.md","title":"Apollo's £5.7 Billion EasyJet Takeover Faces Union Pushback","headline":"Apollo's £5.7 Billion EasyJet Buyout Draws Union Opposition Ahead of 2027 Close","description":"Apollo's £5.7 billion takeover of EasyJet faces union opposition and regulatory clearances, with court and shareholder meetings set for November 2026.","section":"Mergers & Acquisitions","published_at":"2026-10-15T09:18:16+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-15T09:18:16+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["Apollo agreed to acquire EasyJet for £5.7 billion, with completion targeted before the end of the first quarter of 2027.","The European Works Council opposes the deal, saying it offers only 12 months of non-binding commitments.","EasyJet plans court and shareholder meetings in the week starting November 9, 2026, to approve the transaction."],"companies":[{"name":"Apollo","is_primary":true,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00000db/apollo","website":"https://www.apollo.com"},{"name":"EasyJet","is_primary":false,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0000fu2/easyjet","website":"https://careers.easyjet.com"}],"source":{"publisher":"Devdiscourse","title":"Apollo's easyJet buyout faces union pushback ahead of first quarter 2027 close","url":"https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/3992810-apollos-easyjet-buyout-faces-union-pushback-ahead-of-first-quarter-2027-close"},"other_sources":[],"tags":["Mergers & Acquisitions","Apollo","EasyJet"],"body_markdown":"[Apollo](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00000db/apollo) has agreed to acquire [EasyJet](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0000fu2/easyjet) for £5.7 billion ($7.5 billion), a deal the airline says remains on track to complete before the end of the first quarter of 2027. [Devdiscourse](https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/3992810-apollos-easyjet-buyout-faces-union-pushback-ahead-of-first-quarter-2027-close) reported that unions across Europe have raised concerns about the airline's ownership structure after the takeover. EasyJet is a London-listed carrier that has traded on the London stock market for more than 25 years. Apollo is a global alternative asset manager with $1.03 trillion in assets under management as of March 31, 2026, according to [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data).\n\n## Union Opposition To The EasyJet Deal\n\nEasyJet published a scheme document on Thursday in which the European Works Council opposed the transaction. \"The EWC considers that the transaction, as structured, is likely to weaken easyJet's long-term resilience and to expose employees across Europe to risks that are neither addressed nor mitigated by the assurances given,\" the council said in the document. The council also said the deal provided employees with only 12 months of non-binding commitments. Employee representative bodies in France, Portugal and Spain stopped short of endorsing the acquisition, while others in Britain and Germany adopted a neutral position on its financial terms.\n\nEasyJet said it had secured some regulatory approvals in Austria, Britain, France, Germany and Malta, although additional clearances remain outstanding in those countries as well as other jurisdictions. Apollo has sought to address ownership concerns through a governance framework designed to ensure EasyJet remains majority-controlled by European interests. The private-equity firm's strategy centres on expanding EasyJet beyond its traditional no-frills model, with plans for a new loyalty programme, premium travel products and additional revenue streams aimed at boosting customer spending. EasyJet is cutting thousands of winter flights, removing an extra 700,000 seats from its capacity, The Telegraph reported, following rising jet fuel prices.\n\n## Apollo's European Deal Record\n\nApollo manages nearly $240 billion across the EMEA region as of March 31, 2026, with over $60 billion committed across Europe, according to akta.pro company records. The same records show Apollo announced the acquisition of Emerald Holding and Questex for a combined enterprise value of approximately $1.5 billion in June 2026, with $1.065 billion in leveraged loan financing from Barclays. Apollo also sold Invited Clubs to KSL Capital Partners for approximately $3 billion including debt in June 2026, after Invited's annual operating earnings more than doubled to over $350 million under Apollo's ownership since 2017.\n\n## Earlier Apollo Moves\n\nApollo submitted a non-binding bid for German energy firm Uniper, with the sale potentially valuing the company at around €10 billion, Reuters reported in October 2026. Apollo has traded over $35 billion in private credit since entering the market, according to partner John Cortese, with the desk trading about 500 assets with 160 counterparties, Bloomberg reported in October 2026. Apollo estimated Q3 alternative net investment income at about $375 million pretax, an annualized return of 10%, Seeking Alpha reported in October 2026.\n\n## EasyJet's November Meetings\n\nEasyJet plans to hold court and shareholder meetings in the week starting November 9 to approve the deal, formally launching the court-sanctioned process that could remove the airline from the London stock market.\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}