EasyJet chairman hits back at attacks by company's founder

Sir Michael Rake defends the airline following a number of 'increasingly personal' broadsides from Stelios Haji-loannouSir Michael Rake, the chairman of the airline easyJet, has reacted to the "increasingly personal" broadsides being aimed at the company by founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou with an impassioned defence of the firm's policies.Haji-Ioannou, whose family holds a 38% stake in easyJet, has been irking easyJet directors with frequent attacks on the number of planes the airline has ordered and what he said were "phoney" targets underpinning executive incentive schemes. Having accused directors of treating the company as their "personal piggy bank", Haji-Ioannou has tabled a motion to oppose a pay deal potentially granting 10 executives millions of pounds in shares.In a speech at the airline's investor day in the City on Tuesday, Rake attempted to hit back."Stelios and easyGroup have chosen to continuously attack the company in various different ways and increasingly personalise