Fastjet investors block attempt to remove chairman

Fastjet investors voted to retain chairman Colin Child, defeating a move by the African budget carrier's second-largest shareholder to force out a second senior executive within three months. About 33m votes were cast against the removal of Child as executive chairman, while roughly 9.6m were cast for, Fastjet said. The company did not disclose corresponding percentage figures. EasyGroup, controlled by Stelios Haji-Ioannou, had urged shareholders to remove Child, saying that the chairman had failed to relocate the airline's head office from Gatwick to Tanzania. The investor was also critical of Child for the airline's high cost base that hampered its ability to stay solvent, after using similar arguments to push for the departure of former CE Ed Winter in March. EasyGroup, which holds a 12.6% stake in Fastjet, declined to comment. The carrier said on Tuesday that the trading environment had remained challenged and forecast passenger numbers of 390,000 for the first half ending June 30, compared with 363,726 a year earlier. "…passenger numbers remain lower than expected. Whilst domestic routes within Tanzania are showing signs of recovery international services remain difficult," Fastjet said.<br/>