EasyJet share price edges up as it hires Tui’s Johan Lundgren as its new CEO to replace Carolyn McCall
EasyJet has appointed a new chief executive to replace Carolyn McCall when she leaves at the end of this month.
Shares in the company rose 0.7 per cent to 1,279.5p after it said Johan Lundgren, currently a senior executive at Tui, will take over from McCall when she departs to lead ITV.
McCall will step down from her role at the end of this month, but will stay on at the company until the end of December to hand over to Lundgren, who has spent the last two months at Tui as its deputy chief executive and the head of its mainstream markets arm.
Chairman John Barton said Lundgren has “proven experience in European travel as chief executive and in broader group roles.
“He is strategic yet operationally focussed and has proved himself to be a customer-centric, charismatic and successful leader.”
Lundgren added: “I have flown with and been a fan of EasyJet and its wonderful people for many years.”
Passenger growth
Earlier this week the airline said passenger numbers had risen 9.9 per cent in October, with over 7.5m using the airline during the month, pushing its annual total up to 80.9 passengers.
However, storms Brian and Ophelia and the French air traffic controllers’ strike caused cancellations to spike.
The airline is due to expand its capacity even further, after it agreed to take on assets and staff from the defunct Air Berlin.
Read more: Easyjet’s Carolyn McCall will pilot ITV to new heights, investors hope