{"text":[[{"start":10.4,"text":"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."}],[{"start":21.75,"text":"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."}],[{"start":37.1,"text":"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. "}],[{"start":57.3,"text":"Airlines are facing a difficult year, with jet fuel prices doubling after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Analysts and industry executives are expecting consolidation across the sector caused by the disruption and soaring energy prices stemming from the war."}],[{"start":73.85,"text":"US-based Castlelake has about $36bn of assets under management. In the past two decades it has become a significant lender to the aviation sector, and it has leased planes to carriers including Delta, Avianca and Qatar Airways. Its financings are often secured by aircraft fleets, engines or airport slots, as it did with Virgin Atlantic last year."}],[{"start":96.55,"text":"Although it has primarily been a creditor to the industry, Castlelake took a significant stake in Scandinavian airline group SAS after its Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023 alongside Air France-KLM. It has since sold the holding to the French-Dutch carrier group."}],[{"start":113.35,"text":"The firm also held talks with Spirit Airlines earlier this year as the US budget carrier attempted to find a buyer before it slid into bankruptcy. It ultimately declined to go forward with a deal."}],[{"start":125.19999999999999,"text":"EasyJet was founded more than 20 years ago by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, and he remains the company’s largest shareholder with a stake of about 15 per cent."}],[{"start":134.6,"text":"In April easyJet said it would lose £540mn-£560mn for the six months to the end of March, compared with a £394mn loss for the same period a year earlier. The airline added it had hedged 70 per cent of its fuel for the coming summer, which is its busiest period. "}],[{"start":153.9,"text":"The company has frequently been the subject of takeover speculation. In 2021, it rejected an unsolicited takeover approach from rival Wizz Air."}],[{"start":163.1,"text":"Under UK takeover regulations Castlelake faces a June 26 deadline to make a firm bid or walk away."}],[{"start":171.4,"text":"Any takeover of easyJet would mark the latest swoop on a London-listed company by private capital investors, and would follow other deals such as EQT’s £10.6bn deal for the UK industrial group Intertek."}],[{"start":192.75,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1780125933_2849.mp3"}