Sir Stelios snubbed in EasyJet row

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s plans for a shareholder uprising at easyJet were dealt a blow today after a major investor backed the airline’s management.

Standard Life, whose 9.45% stake in the company is the largest behind the Haji-Ioannou family, said it did not share his criticism of the growth strategy at the airline, which has 189 planes and another 59 on order.