Latest news with #SteliosHajiIoannou
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Stelios Haji-Ioannou of Easyjet: I was asked ‘how are you going to fly into Belfast with an orange airline?'
Stelios Haji-Ioannou's interest in Ireland came in stages – first when EasyJet began flying out of Belfast in the late 1990s and then, more importantly, after he met a Kerry woman, Orla Murphy, and, later, became father to Aria, the couple's seven-year-old daughter. The Greek Cypriot billionaire knows a few things about divided islands: 'One of my earliest memories as a kid is the invasion of Cyprus in 1974. I remember we were all scared,' he says, 'it was a very vivid memory.' Today, Haji-Ioannou – better known simply as Stelios – has created the inaugural North –South Business Co-operation Awards with Co-operation Ireland to encourage cross-Border entrepreneurship and start-ups on the island of Ireland. His connection with Ireland goes back to the early days of the low-cost carrier EasyJet. In 1995, he had considered flying out of Belfast but shied away because 'it was considered always a difficult route'. READ MORE Fortunes, however, changed after the 1998 Belfast Agreement, with EasyJet beginning with three flights a day from Belfast. Today, it carries seven out of every 10 people who fly into or out of Northern Ireland. Stelios Haji-Ioannou of EasyJet at Glin Castle. Photograph: Mark Hennessy Remembering the early days, he tells The Irish Times: 'I remember one of the comments in '98 was, 'How are you going to fly into Belfast with an orange airline?'. I mean, can you imagine?' The billionaire is speaking in a bedroom in Glin Castle, one of three temporarily converted into offices while the family holiday in Co Limerick on the banks of the Shannon, in the ancestral home of the Knights of Glin. The historic location – the home of the Black Knight of Glin, one of the Fitzgeralds of Desmond, since the early 14th Century – is popular with the family because it 'is close to home' for his partner, whom he met after she had moved to Monaco. 'My daughter's name is Aria, A-R-I-A. We chose a name equally easy to pronounce in Greek and English. We tried others, but they weren't so easy to pronounce,' Haji-Ioannou says. In time, he hopes his daughter will take charge of the family's philanthropic arm, the Stelios Foundation: 'I wanted to do something more substantial in Ireland because, obviously, I'm spending time here. 'I have family here now. One day, hopefully, this foundation will be run by her, and I want to have a bigger project in Ireland.' Stelios Haji-Ioannou is no longer involved as an executive in EasyJet. Photograph: Chris Radcliffe/Bloomberg Many of his relatives left Cyprus after the 1974 invasion. In 2004, he returned after the border crossings that divided the Mediterranean island were opened: 'It was a time when I had started seriously to think about giving back to society.' So began in 2008 the Stelios Bi-Communal Business Co-Operation Awards, which offers more than €400,000 in prizes annually to Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot business people who are prepared to work together. It started quietly because he was not sure how welcome the awards would be: 'Because very often in Cyprus, there is misinformation that, you know, you're a traitor if you're doing business with the other side.' Bar Covid interruptions, the awards have flourished. Winners like prizes, he says with a smile: 'But the other thing they like is the endorsement, the clarification that it's actually approved, it's legal, it's lawful to do business with the other side.' The idea to bring it to Ireland came after Haji-Ioannou listened to a speech from former Irish ambassador to London and Washington Dan Mulhall at a lunch in Monaco attended by the principality's Prince Albert. 'I approached him, and I said, 'I'm doing this in Cyprus. Do you think it might work in Ireland?' Immediately, he said 'yes', and the rest is history. He introduced us to Ian Jeffers of Co-Operation Ireland,' he says. The awards will be made in Castle Leslie in Co Monaghan in October: 'Hundreds of applications have been downloaded, so people are thinking about it. Hopefully, we're going to have a good set of first winners and then they will become the ambassadors.' Today, he divides his time in three – a third is spent on the Easy family of brands, a third goes on his philanthropic work and the remainder on investments that have diversified his interests far beyond aviation. No longer involved as an executive in EasyJet, he still gets 25c for every passenger the airline flies. Last year, it carried more than 70 million passengers: 'The best decision I ever made after creating EasyJet was to keep the name in my own company.' Aviation is getting tougher, with higher fuel costs and future emissions charges, but Haji-Ioannou sees no return to the crippling charges that passengers paid in an era before EasyJet and Ryanair. Questioned about his one-time direct opponent, Michael O'Leary of Ryanair, Haji-Ioannou says: 'He's made a lot of money, so I think he's a very successful businessman. There's no doubt about it.' The two men clashed repeatedly and bitterly during the 1990s and 2000s, with the Greek Cypriot once calling Ryanair's customer service 'appalling', while O'Leary had to apologise for calling him a liar. 'He's made a lot of money for himself, for his shareholders. Some of the rhetoric is designed to reduce customer expectations. He has this philosophy that if you lower the expectations of the customer, you can lower your costs. 'I remember O'Leary as an accountant, ex-KPMG who was very shy and didn't talk to the media. He's become this very, very prominent personality largely because the media give him a lot of time,' he says. 'I haven't spoken to him for years. In the early days we used to every now and then meet or speak. Nothing personal. Because I don't have a day-to-day role in EasyJet, I don't have a reason to speak to Michael O'Leary.'
Irish Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Competition worth €500,000 aims to boost companies that foster cross-border links
A new competition worth €500,000 has been set up by the founder of EasyJet aimed at companies who can 'celebrate and support' cross-Border entrepreneurship on the island of Ireland. Stelios Haji-Ioannou , creator and owner of the Easy family of brands, including EasyJet, announced the launch of the North–South Business Cooperation Awards on Wednesday. He described the awards as 'a major new initiative designed to celebrate and support cross-Border entrepreneurship and encourage start-ups on the island of Ireland'. A total prize fund of €500,000 will be awarded to 18 entrepreneurs, across nine teams, who have started businesses registered in Northern Ireland or the Republic within the past five years and are now trading cross-Border. READ MORE Mr Haji-Ioannou said the awards, while chiefly tied to business, were also about 'lasting peace' in Ireland. 'These awards represent more than just recognition – they embody a commitment to building a better, more connected future on the island of Ireland,' he said. 'When businesses from both sides of the Border collaborate, they do more than drive economic growth; they build trust, create lasting jobs, and strengthen the social and economic fabric of our communities.' The awards will culminate in a ceremony at Castle Leslie Estate, Co. Monaghan on October 30th.
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
The aircraft budget airlines use revealed
By Europe's low-cost airlines fly millions of us across the region - and beyond - every year, and boast some of the world's best safety records. But which aircraft do the most popular budget flyers, such as easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz, depend upon to ensure passengers reach their destination - be it a city break or balmy beach - safely? The good news for passengers is that the low-cost carriers have some of the youngest fleets in the world - with many ordering brand new aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus to bolster their fleets. RYANAIR Back in 2023, Ryanair ordered 330 new Boeing 737 Max 10 aircraft in a deal worth more than $40billion dollars (£32billion). The delivery of the aircraft is due between 2027 and 2034 and, says the airline, when the order's fulfilled, the planes will be able to 'carry 21% more guests, burn 20% less fuel and be 50% quieter than the Boeing 737-NG fleet.' What does Europe's largest airline group currently have in its 618-stong fleet? There are 181 Boeing 737-8200 'Gamechanger' planes and 26 Airbus A320s. The majority of Michael O'Leary's airline's current fleet though is the 189-seater Boeing 737-Next Gen plane, of which the airline has 411 of them. The popular twin-engine narrow-body aircraft carries a CFM-56 engine, and has a 35.8 m (117 ft 5 in) wingspan. EASYJET The orange-hued airline, founded by Stelios Haji-Ioannou in 1995, lays claim to 'one of the youngest fleets in the industry'. Passengers fly on 318 Airbus A320 family aircraft, with the company recently welcoming the new generation Airbus A320neo too. According to Airbus, the A320neo, equipped with CFM LEAP-1A engines and wingtip 'Sharklets', flies up to 3,400 NM and delivers 20% less fuel burn and CO2 emission per seat - thanks to its fuel efficient engines. There's also a fleet of A321neo aircraft, with 235 seats on board, in use by the airline. Flyers onboard those enjoy one of the widest single-aisle cabin in its class, with more personal space and wider seats alongside bigger than average overhead compartments. JET2 Another airline with planes on order, Jet2 announced plans to welcome 60 new Airbus A321neo planes back in 2021 - with the option to extend to up to 75. And in 2015, the company acquired 34 brand new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with the order fulfilled by January 2019. The brand - famous for its catchy ads, using pop star Jess Glynne's Hold my Hand track - launched its first leisure flight from Leeds Bradford Airport to Amsterdam in February 2003. BRITISH AIRWAYS The British airline has the most diversity when it comes to planes, with a huge array of aircraft within its fleet, and operating one of the most modern fleets of any airline in the world. Currently in the fleet are: the Airbus A319-100, Airbus A320-200 and A320neo, Airbus A321-200 and A321neo, Airbus A350-1000, Airbus A380-800, Boeing 777-200 and 777-300, Boeing 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10 - and the Embraer 190 BA CityFlyer. In the midst of the pandemic, the airline scrapped its entire fleet of jumbo jets. The nation's flag carrier was the world's last major operator of the iconic Boeing 747 'Queen of the Skies', which had been in service with the airline since 1971. BA had originally planned to retire them by 2024 and gradually replace them with newer, more fuel-efficient jets such as the 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350. But plummeting passenger numbers forced the airline to bring forward its plans. WIZZ AIR The Hungarian airline has made huge waves since it started in 2004, having carried 200 million passengers after 15 years in business. Its fleet, like easyJet, is also young, with 207 aircraft with an average age of 4.2 years. More than 200 of those are the ultramodern Airbus A320 family aircraft, which helped Wizz land a spot in the top ten safest low cost carriers in 2019. There's also the more eco-friendly Airbus A321neo aircraft amongst its fleet, which, says the low cost carrier, makes them 'the airline with the smallest environmental footprint per passenger.'
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
What aircraft do the most popular budget airlines use? From easyJet and Ryanair to Jet2 and British Airways
Europe's low-cost airlines fly millions of us across the region - and beyond - every year, and boast some of the world's best safety records. But which aircraft do the most popular budget flyers such as easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz depend upon to ensure passengers reach their destination - be it a city break or balmy beach - in style? The good news for passengers is that Europe's low-cost carriers have some of the youngest fleets in the world, with many having brand new planes on order in the pipeline too. RYANAIR Back in 2023, Ryanair ordered 330 new Boeing 737 Max 10 aircraft, in a deal worth more than $40billion dollars (£32billion). The delivery of the aircraft is due between 2027 and 2034 and, says the airline, will see the planes able to 'carry 21% more guests, burn 20% less fuel and be 50% quieter than our Boeing 737-NG Fleet.' What does Europe's largest airline group currently have in its 618-stong fleet? There are 181 Boeing 737-8200 'Gamechanger' planes and 26 Airbus A320s. The majority of Michael O'Leary's airline's current fleet though is the 189-seater Boeing 737-Next Gen plane, of which the airline has 411 of them. The twin-engine narrow-body aircraft carries a CFM-56 engine, and has a 35.8 m (117 ft 5 in) wingspan. EASYJET The orange-hued airline, founded by Stelios Haji-Ioannou in 1995, lays claim to 'one of the youngest fleets in the industry'. Passenger fly on 318 Airbus A320 family aircraft, with the company recently welcoming the new generation Airbus A320neo. According to Airbus, the A320neo, equipped with CFM LEAP-1A engines and wingtip 'Sharklets', flies up to 3,400 NM and delivers 20% less fuel burn and CO2 emission per seat - thanks to its fuel efficient engines. There's also a fleet of A321neo aircraft, with 235 seats on board, in use by the airline. Flyers onboard enjoy one of the widest single-aisle cabin in its class, with more personal space and wider seats alongside bigger than average overhead compartments. JET2 Another airline with planes on order, Jet2 announced plans to welcome 60 new Airbus A321neo planes back in 2021 - with the option to extend to up to 75. And in 2015, the company acquired 34 brand new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with the order fulfilled by January 2019. The brand - famous for its catchy ads, using pop star Jess Glynne's Hold my Hand track - launched its first leisure flight from Leeds Bradford Airport to Amsterdam in February 2003. BRITISH AIRWAYS The British airline has the most diversity when it comes to planes, with a huge array of aircraft within its fleet, and operating one of the most modern fleets of any airline in the world. Currently in the fleet are: Airbus A319-100, Airbus A320-200 and A320neo, Airbus A321-200 and A321neo, Airbus A350-1000, Airbus A380-800, Boeing 777-200 and 777-300, Boeing 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10 - and the Embraer 190 BA CityFlyer. IN the midst of the pandemic, the airline scrapped its entire fleet of jumbo jets. The nation's flag carrier was the world's last major operator of the iconic Boeing 747 'Queen of the Skies', which had been in service with the airline since 1971. BA had originally planned to retire them by 2024 and gradually replace them with newer, more fuel-efficient jets such as the 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350. But plummeting passenger numbers forced the airline to bring forward its plans. WIZZ AIR The Hungarian airline has made huge waves since it started in 2004, having carried 200 million passengers after 15 years in business. Its fleet, like easyJet, is also young, with 207 aircraft with an average age of 4.2 years. More than 200 of those are the ultramodern Airbus A320 family aircraft, which helped Wizz land a spot in the top ten safest low cost carriers of 2019. There's also the more eco-friendly Airbus A321neo aircraft amongst its fleet, which, says the low cost carrier, makes them 'the airline with the smallest environmental footprint per passenger.'
