UK budget carrier EasyJet has confirmed that it is searching for a new chief executive after Carolyn McCall opted to step down from the post.

McCall will leave her position around the end of this year, the airline states, to become the head of broadcaster ITV.

ITV states that McCall will take up the role of chief executive on 8 January 2018.

EasyJet says it has begun a recruitment process for a successor, and that it "expects to select from a strong range of candidates".

McCall, who came from a media background as the head of Guardian Media Group, was named as the chief executive of EasyJet in 2010.

She says the decision to pursue the opportunity with ITV "felt like the right one to take", but says: "EasyJet is a structural winner in a brilliant position, and I look forward to being a loyal customer in the years to come."

McCall is credited by chairman John Barton with having generated "sustained and continuing financial success" at the airline, and having "transformed" the company's performance.

Source: Cirium Dashboard