Fraport Wins Ljubljana Airport Privatization

Frankfurt (ots) -

Expanding International Activities in a Dynamic Business and
Tourist Region Between the Alps and the Mediterranean - Slovenia's
Capital City Airport Serves as a Hub to the Balkan Region

FRA/rap - Fraport AG and a consortium headed by the Slovenian
Sovereign Holding (SDH) have reached agreement for the purchase of
Ljubljana Airport (Aerodrom Ljubljana) in the capital city of
Slovenia, southeastern Europe. Winning against strong international
competition in a closed bidding process on July 4, Fraport was
selected by the seller side to participate in exclusive negotiations
on the sale of Aerodrom Lubljana d.d., the company that operates the
airport.

Under the agreement, Fraport AG will pay 177.1 million euros for a
75.5 percent stake in Aerodrom Ljubljana d.d. The acquisition will be
financed from current liquid funds. As part of the privatization
process, Fraport intends to acquire 100 percent of the Ljubljana
airport company and, thus, will submit a takeover bid to the
remaining shareholders, in accordance with legal and statutory
requirements. In 2013, Ljubljana Airport (IATA Code: LJU) welcomed
about 1.3 million passengers, up from 1.2 million in 2012.

Dr. Stefan Schulte, Fraport AG's executive board chairman (CEO),
expressed satisfaction with the expansion of the company's
international airport portfolio: "With Ljubljana, we are adding
another airport investment with dynamic development potential. The
choice for Fraport underscores our position as a leading global
airport manager." Dr. Matthias Zieschang, Fraport AG's executive
board member for controlling and finance (CFO), added: "Our extensive
know-how gained over many decades will enable us to further expand
and strengthen Ljubljana's competitive position - a real win-win
situation for everyone involved"

Historically, Ljubljana has been a strategic crossroads of trade
between the Danube, Alps and Adriatic Sea. Also known as Joze Pucnik
Airport, LJU (http://www.lju-airport.si/en/Main) is Slovenia's
national air transportation gateway and a vital infrastructure engine
for the country's diversified and growing export-driven economy. In
2004 Slovenia joined the European Union (EU) and the euro zone in
2007. LJU reaches a catchment area of some 4 million inhabitants
within a 250-kilometer radius, which includes border areas in
neighboring Italy, Austria, Croatia and Hungary. The airport also
serves as a hub in the Balkan region.

Slovenia is a young EU country with a long history and numerous
geographic, cultural and historic attractions waiting to be
discovered by the rest of the world). As one of Europe?s most
forested countries, Slovenia offers outstanding natural beauty and
endless opportunities for outdoor activities - from the Alps to the
Adriatic. Natural treasures include the Triglav National Park and
UNESCO Biosphere. The famous Skocjan Caves, one of the largest cave
systems in the world, is also a World Heritage Site.

The city of Ljubljana (http://www.visitljubljana.com) is a
fascinating and vibrant European capital that is celebrating the
two-thousandth anniversary this year of Emona - a Roman town that
once stood on the site of present-day downtown Ljubljana. Even
earlier, about 7,000 years ago, the Ljubljana Marshes (once a lake)
south of the city were inhabited by "pile dwellers". These people
lived in houses resting on wooden piles in the shallow waters and
traveled by canoe. Other city attractions include Ljubljana Castle,
beautiful Baroque buildings and facades, the huge
five-square-kilometer Tivoli Park, as well as numerous arts and
culture events held every year.

Print-quality photos of Fraport AG and Frankfurt Airport are
available for free downloading via the photo library located in our
Press Center on the Fraport Web site. For TV news and information
broadcasting purposes only, we also offer free footage material for
downloading.

Fraport AG - which ranks among the world's leading companies in
the global airport business - offers a full range of integrated
airport management services and boasts subsidiaries and investments
on five continents, In 2013, the Fraport Group generated sales of EUR
2.56 billion, EBITDA of EUR 880.2 million and profit of about ?236
million. Last year, more than 103 million passengers used airports
around the world in which Fraport has a majority stake.

At its Frankfurt Airport (FRA) home base, Fraport welcomed more
than 58 million passengers in 2013 and handled some 2.1 million
metric tons of cargo (airfreight and airmail). For the current flight
timetable, FRA is served by 108 passenger airlines flying to some 295
destinations in 105 countries worldwide. More than half of FRA?s
destinations are intercontinental (beyond Europe) - underscoring
Frankfurt's role as a leading hub in the global air transportation
system. In Europe, Frankfurt Airport ranks first in terms of cargo
tonnage and is the third-busiest for passenger traffic. With well
over 50 percent of all passengers using Frankfurt as a connecting
hub, FRA also has the highest transfer rate among the major European
hubs.

Frankfurt Airport City has become Germany's largest job complex at
a single location, employing more than 78,000 people at some 500
companies and organizations directly on site. Almost half of
Germany's population lives within a 200-kilometer radius of the FRA
intermodal travel hub - the largest airport catchment area in Europe.
FRA Airport City also serves as a magnet for other companies located
throughout the economically vital Frankfurt/Rhine-Main-Neckar region.
Thanks to synergies associated with the region's dynamic industries,
networked expertise, and outstanding intermodal transportation
infrastructure, FRA's world route network enables Hesse's and
Germany's export-oriented businesses to flourish in global growth
markets.

Frankfurt Airport meets the increasing needs of the flourishing
export-oriented economies of the State of Hesse as well as Germany as
a whole, for optimal connections to growth markets around the globe.
Likewise, FRA is also a strategic gateway for companies wanting to
access the huge European marketplace. Thus, Frankfurt Airport - which
is strategically located in the heart of Europe, is one of the most
important hubs in the world and a key infrastructure site for Germany
and Europe.

Major new real estate developments - such as The Squaire, the
Gateway Gardens business park, and the Mönchhof Logistics Park, etc.
- are creating an exciting new dimension and range of services at the
evolving Frankfurt Airport City of the 21st century.

Contact:
Fraport AG Robert A. Payne
International Spokesman
Press Office, Corp.Communications
60547 Frankfurt, Germany

Telephone: +49 69 690-78547
E-mail: r.payne@fraport.de

Internet: www.fraport.com
Facebook: www.faceebook.com/FrankfurtAirport