A row has broken out between the owner of the “easy” brand and EasyJet, a licensee, over the low-cost airline’s move into new businesses such as credit cards and hotel bookings.

In a claim filed with London’s High Court, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou accused the carrier of damaging its brand by linking it too closely with so-called ancillary businesses. The entrepreneur is EasyJet’s biggest single shareholder, with 16 per cent.