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The decision comes weeks after easyJet agreed to a £5.7billion takeover by US private equity firm Apollo

EasyJet has confirmed it is pulling out of a major UK airport, leaving passengers scrambling for alternatives or seeking refunds.

The budget carrier announced on Wednesday that five direct routes will be axed, affecting travellers heading to some of Europe's most popular holiday destinations.

The airport in question is Leeds Bradford, where EasyJet will operate its final services on January 5 before withdrawing entirely.

All scheduled flights up to that date will run as normal, the airline confirmed.

Flights to Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Barcelona, Paris and Belfast will all cease, with customers offered either a free transfer to a different departure airport or a full refund.

The move marks a significant retreat for one of Britain's biggest airlines from a key regional hub.

The decision followed what the carrier described as a review of its route network from the Yorkshire airport.

Eight other airlines, among them Ryanair and Jet2, continue to serve Leeds Bradford.

EasyJet said it reached the conclusion after assessing demand, choosing instead to concentrate its resources on routes that attract the highest passenger numbers.

The airline stated: "We have contacted customers with bookings beyond this date to provide them with advance notice and inform them of their options, including a free transfer to flights from an alternative airport or a refund, and we are very sorry for the inconvenience caused."

EasyJet added: "Our focus is on maintaining and developing routes which prove most popular with customers."

The carrier also stressed it valued the ties it had built with Leeds Bradford and would continue to assess its network, with the goal of offering greater choice and connectivity wherever sufficient demand exists.

The withdrawal comes at a turbulent time for the airline financially. EasyJet has suffered a 70 per cent plunge in profits, driven by a combination of weakening passenger demand and surging jet fuel expenses.

Those rising costs have squeezed margins across the business, forcing the carrier to take a harder look at which routes remain commercially viable.

The Leeds Bradford pullout appears to be a direct consequence of that pressure, as the airline seeks to trim underperforming services from its network.

The profit decline underscores the broader challenges facing budget carriers in the current economic climate.

The route axe arrives just a fortnight after EasyJet agreed to a £5.7billion takeover by American private equity giant Apollo.

That deal was sealed after rival US investment firm Castlelake pulled out of the bidding process, having previously tabled multiple offers for the carrier.

Apollo has said it aims to support the airline's growth and has pledged not to cut jobs within the first year of completing the acquisition.

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who founded EasyJet in 1995 and whose family retains roughly 15 per cent of the business, backed the deal.

He said: "My family and I intend to remain invested as long-term major shareholders of EasyJet for the next chapter in the company's journey."