EasyJet’s chief executive, Johan Lundgren, will step down at the beginning of next year after seven years at the helm of the budget airline. The carrier is promoting its chief financial officer, Kenton Jarvis, to take his place, with Lundgren set to hand over the reins on 1 January 2025. The outgoing boss will then stay with the business until mid-May as part of the airline’s “orderly succession plan”. Lundgren has had an eventful tenure. He became CEO of easyJet at the end of 2017, after serving as second in command at the rival travel firm Tui, and has more than 30 years of experience in the travel industry. His leadership was put to the test two years into his term when pandemic lockdowns grounded plans and put airlines under severe financial strain. It resulted in staff layoffs, and later rehiring as air travel started to recover. Stephen Hester, the chairman, said on Thursday: “We are sad that Johan will retire from easyJet. He has done an excellent job as our CEO since December 2017; steering the company through the immense challenges of the Covid period, and setting up a clear strategy and strong execution plan towards its ambition of...