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Departure gates: Easyjet’s Peter Bellew and the aviation turbulence that preceded his resignation

The aviation heavy-hitter last week stepped down as chief executive of EasyJet, the British low-cost airline, following weeks of cancelled flights and chaos for passengers

Irishman Peter Bellew fought hard to escape Ryanair and land a top role at EasyJet – but has now stepped down from that post amid a summer of cancelled flights. Illustration: Peter Hanan

There are a lot of schools of thought on Peter Bellew, the veteran airline executive. They’re quite contrasting, and some blatantly contradict one another. A few are rather mean.

A professional acquaintance, but (they stressed) “not a friend”, told this newspaper he’s a stand-up guy who could be viewed as a sacrificial lamb as he exits easyJet while the airline weathers a chaotic summer. That’s a somewhat contentious statement, considering the official line is that ...