EasyJet shareholders approve US giant Apollo’s $7.6 billion takeover, putting its first African base and routes across Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Cape Verde on path to new ownership

Morocco has become particularly important to the British airline. EasyJet describes the country as its fastest-growing market outside Europe and operates more routes to Morocco than to any other African market.

Shareholders approved the transaction at meetings held on Wednesday, according to an official easyJet announcement⁠. Reuters also reported that the vote cleared a major hurdle for one of Europe’s largest private-equity airline buyouts.

Apollo is offering £7.15 in cash for each easyJet share. The £5.7 billion offer represents an 81% premium to the airline’s share price before takeover speculation began.

At the court meeting, 97.07% of the shares voted backed the transaction, while 2.93% opposed it. The supporting shares represented 37.89% of the issued capital eligible to vote.

A separate resolution at the general meeting received support from 96.67% of votes cast.

The approval does not mean Apollo has completed the acquisition.

The takeover is being implemented through a scheme of arrangement and still requires sanction from the court and the satisfaction or waiver of other conditions.

EasyJet expects the transaction to become effective before the end of the first quarter of 2027.

Apollo plans to retain the easyJet brand and keep the airline’s UK headquarters and operating licences in Britain, Austria and Switzerland.

The African dimension extends beyond flights carrying European tourists to the continent.

EasyJet opened a three-aircraft base in Marrakech in April 2026—its first permanent base in Africa—as part of a long-term agreement with the Moroccan National Tourist Office.

The base supports as many as 100 direct jobs and thousands of indirect positions connected to aviation and tourism.

EasyJet said it would offer a record four million seats during the base’s first year and expand its Moroccan network to 58 routes, including 30 serving Marrakech.

The airline serves five Moroccan airports: Marrakech, Agadir, Rabat, Essaouira and Tangier. It ranks as Morocco’s third-largest airline and the second-largest carrier at Marrakech.

EasyJet also describes itself as the largest airline connecting Morocco with Britain and Switzerland.

The airline has carried approximately 20 million passengers to and from Morocco since entering the market in 2006.

Outside Morocco, easyJet sells flights and holiday packages to Egypt and Tunisia, while its Cape Verde operation includes services to Sal, Boa Vista and São Vicente.

Apollo has said it supports easyJet’s existing strategy, including modernising its fleet, increasing aircraft capacity and expanding its holidays business.

The investment group also wants easyJet to strengthen its loyalty and ancillary businesses—the additional services passengers purchase alongside tickets.

EasyJet’s African network fits that strategy because Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Cape Verde are established holiday destinations for travellers from Britain and continental Europe.

Morocco is particularly valuable because easyJet has moved beyond seasonal flights and established aircraft, staff and year-round operations inside the country.

However, Apollo has not announced a separate investment programme for Africa or promised additional African routes as part of the acquisition. Any claim that the takeover will automatically result in further African expansion would therefore be premature.

The immediate development is that easyJet’s shareholders have accepted Apollo’s offer, moving the US investment firm closer to controlling an airline with an increasingly important commercial presence in North and West Africa.