Here’s a novelty at the height of summer: an early departure from a budget airline.

Let me explain. I’ve learnt that the director targeted by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou as part of his row with EasyJet is poised to step down from the airline’s board several months earlier than planned.

Sir David Michels, a respected City figure who is also a director of Marks & Spencer, is expected to leave EasyJet shortly, well ahead of his planned December retirement date.

People close to EasyJet said an announcement is likely to be made about Michels’ immediate departure as soon as this week.

The acceleration of Michels’ retirement is designed to avert an escalation of the war of words between EasyJet and its founder, who has been campaigning for the airline to put the brake on its expansion and return cash to investors.

Haji-Ioannou has called for the company to hold an extraordinary general meeting at which the only resolution would be Michels’ immediate exit.

His attack on Michels is widely-viewed as an expression of the founder’s bitterness over payments made to Andrew Harrison, the former EasyJet chief executive.

Some City shareholders have, however, become exasperated by Haji-Ioannou’s tactics and warned privately that the row has become an unnecessary distraction to the airline’s management.

I’m told that some of those same institutional investors are supportive of Michels’ candidacy for the chairmanship of Thomas Cook, the troubled travel group.

It’s conceivable that EasyJet’s board could still decide not to sanction Michels’ early departure in a show of defiance against its biggest shareholder.

That’s extremely unlikely, though, according to my sources. What’s less clear is whether EasyJet’s decision to give in to its biggest shareholder will be enough to bring an end to hostilities between them.

Past form suggests that’s unlikely. Haji-Ioannou is keen for EasyJet to slow the expansion of its fleet and has criticised directors for approving aircraft acquisitions at what he says are inflated prices.

EasyJet declined to comment.