Analysis: airline fends off Hungarian interloper in increasingly febrile fight over Gatwick slots
The battle for the post-pandemic holiday skies took a fresh twist yesterday, as easyJet launched a £1.2bn fundraiser while announcing it had fended off a takeover bid – widely assumed to be from rival Wizz Air.
EasyJet, the dominant airline at Gatwick , said the “unsolicited approach” from an unnamed bidder was unanimously rejected by its board. Wizz declined to comment but the offer of an “all-share transaction” pointed to the Hungary-based carrier, which has targeted rapid expansion across Europe with a beady eye on England’s leisure market, which London’s second airport serves.