easyJet PLC (LSE:EZJ)’s chief operating officer Peter Bellew has resigned after more than two years with the company, following thousands of flight cancellations this summer.
Bellew stepped down from the budget airline on Friday to pursue new opportunities after two and a half years with the company.
Last month, easyJet blamed the cancellations on staff shortages resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic as thousands of travellers were left stranded abroad or missed their holidays.
The airline announced in June that it would be culling more flights over the summer, amid a flight cap introduced on flights to and from Gatwick Airport.
It later announced it had agreed to source 56 more planes from Airbus SAS as part of a giant US$6.5bn investment to refresh its fleet and reduce future fuel costs.
This came just nine months after the airline asked for £1.2bn from shareholders to keep the airline in operation after the ravages of the pandemic.
easyJet, which operates up to 1700 flights each day carrying around 250,000 passengers, said it has taken pre-emptive action to build further resilience for the summer.
It confirmed the appointment of David Morgan as interim chief operating officer, who has been with the airline since 2016 and previously served as interim COO in 2019.
“David has significant experience and deep knowledge of the business and operation and will provide strong leadership for the airline this summer,” easyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said in a statement.