Irishman Peter Bellew leaves EasyJet as aviation troubles mount this summer

The Co Meath native had previously worked for Ryanair, Malaysia Airlines, and at Kerry Airport

Peter Bellew has left the airline for 'other business opportunities'.

EasyJet chief operating officer Peter Bellew has left the airline for "other business opportunities" as the carrier struggles with flight cancellations. 

The airline didn't say why Mr Bellew, who had previously worked for Ryanair, Malaysia Airlines, and at Kerry Airport, had departed. In a statement, it said it was "absolutely focused" on its daily operations "having taken pre-emptive action to build further resilience for the summer due to the current operating environment". 

EasyJet shares fell by over 5% in London on the announcement.  

Mr Bellew, who is a native of Bettystown, Co Meath, over two periods had previously held senior jobs at Ryanair. 

He first left Ryanair as its director of flight operations in 2015 to become second in command at Malaysia Airlines under then CEO Christoph Mueller, the former boss of Aer Lingus. He was formerly a senior director helping to manage Kerry Airport in the 1990s. 

Mr Bellew returned to Ireland to rejoin Ryanair but became embroiled in a legal dispute in 2019 over his plans to join rival EasyJet as chief operating officer. 

EasyJet last month reined in summer capacity at London Gatwick and Amsterdam Schiphol, its biggest bases. It said it continues to operate up to 1,700 flights each day and carry up to 250,000 passengers. 

“I would like to thank Peter for his hard work and wish him well. Everyone at EasyJet remains absolutely focused on delivering a safe and reliable operation this summer," said EasyJet CEO Johan Lundgren. 

Mr Bellew will be replaced by David Morgan, who had filled the role on a temporary basis previously, the airline said. 

Many airlines, which have been hit by staff shortages at airports and labour unrest, also face paying higher fuel costs. 

EasyJet shares have dropped by 32% in the past month, while Ryanair shares, which rose on Tuesday, have fallen by 20%.