Castlelake Mulls £3.06B EasyJet Bid at 403p, Shares Rise 10%

On 2 June 2026 Castlelake disclosed it is weighing a possible takeover of easyJet and already holds 2.14% of the shares. The US investor set a minimum price of 403.23 pence, implying an equity value of roughly £3.06 billion ($4.12 billion), and must declare firm intentions or walk away by 26 June under UK rules. The news follows easyJet’s earlier rebuke of the approach as “highly opportunistic” and lifted the airline’s shares as much as 10% on the day, while one related ADR jumped nearly 34%. The development highlights renewed M&A interest in UK-listed airlines and adds modest upside pressure to the UK 100.