EasyJet CEO puts stamp on airline -- but rules out Norwegian Bid

British low-cost airline easyJet expects profits to rise more than 30% this year as it benefits from strong travel demand and the collapse of some smaller rivals. EasyJet said it wants to expand its holiday-tour unit and attract more business travellers as new CEO Johan Lundgren moves the airline beyond an increasingly competitive discount market. Lundgren named five top managers Tuesday, led by the appointment of Garry Wilson from TUI AG to head the holiday arm, which will become a focus for investment along with a new loyalty program and measures to target corporate travelers. The stock rose following a smaller-than-expected H1 loss. EasyJet is targeting a broader range of markets as the discount sector becomes an increasingly tough battleground. Lundgren said he won’t be muscling in on the bidding for Norwegian Air Shuttle after IAG had two approaches rejected and has no plans to enter the long-haul low-cost market where the Scandinavian company is a pioneer. “We are not interested in buying Norwegian. We’re going to focus on our core,” Lundgren, who is Swedish, said on a conference call with journalists. “We have a lot of plans and initiatives.” Neither will Luton, England-based EasyJet become part of a wider bid group with other carriers, he said. EasyJet still intends to be “on the right side” of a consolidation trend in European aviation and remains interested in bidding for the short-haul operations of failed Alitalia, according to Lundgren, who joined in December. <br/>