Air France-KLM aims to win back passengers who have fled to easyJet as the airline group faces an expected £5.7bn takeover of the budget carrier. Chief executive Ben Smith said the group will use a product that can compete on cost to lure those customers back.

An offer for easyJet is expected as soon as this weekend, with the process likely to stretch for months. Apollo Global Management and Castlelake are weighing final bids; Apollo favours a £5.7bn deal at £7.15 a share, while Castlelake has offered £5.5bn at £6.90 a share. UK takeover rules give Castlelake until 5pm Monday to submit a final offer and Apollo until Friday.

EasyJet has built relatively large positions at key airports such as Paris Charles de Gaulle, offering premium features like fast boarding, front-row seats, free baggage and airport lounges, which differentiate it from rivals such as Ryanair that use secondary airports.

Transavia, Air France-KLM’s low-cost unit, has modelled much of its product on easyJet and extended the Flying Blue loyalty scheme. New services from Paris Orly aim to attract price-sensitive travellers, giving legacy carriers a chance to win back customers once the takeover is complete.