Vienna Airport plc has no plans whatsoever to sell its strategic stake in Malta International Airport plc, the company said in a statement.
Following reports in other sections of the media, Vienna Airport plc said it is very satisfied with the development of its investment and the performance of the current management. This was also conveyed to the Government of Malta, and was expressly confirmed by the Management Board of Vienna Airport plc, both at the Annual General Meeting of Vienna Airport plc held on May 6, 2015 and the telephone conference call with capital market analysts on May 19, 2015 on the occasion of the publication of the quarterly results. The recording of the conference call with the corresponding statement can be heard in the original version at www.viennaairport.com.
“Malta International Airport plc once again posted record results in 2014, both in terms of passenger volume and also with respect to its financial indicators, and we are very proud of this strategic investment. Under the leadership of Alan Borg, the company has developed outstandingly, and for this reason we see no need to make changes in the management or the ownership structure”, says Julian Jäger, Member of the Management Board of Vienna Airport plc.
Vienna Airport plc confirmed that talks were held in the past with potential partners concerning possible changes in the ownership structure of Malta International Airport plc. However, Vienna Airport plc decided not to sell any of its shares and to continue holding its strategic stake in Malta International Airport plc. Accordingly, all discussions with potential partners were terminated in January 2015, a fact which was also conveyed to the Government of Malta. The Management Board of Vienna Airport plc expressly communicated to the Annual General Meeting of Vienna Airport plc held on May 6, 2015 and the telephone conference call with capital market analysts on May 19, 2015 on the occasion of the publication of the company’s results for the first quarter of 2015 that there were no intentions to dispose of the strategic stake in Malta International Airport plc.
The original statements made in the Conference Call can be heard by clicking here
As a consequence, the Management Board of Vienna Airport plc clearly denies any rumors and sees it as an attempt to destabilize the airport management teams in Malta and Vienna. At present, the legally mandated tender process to fill the positions of the Management Board members for Vienna Airport plc is underway, in light of the fact that the current terms of office of the Management Board members expire at the end of September 2016. A decision on filling the positions on the Management Board of Vienna Airport plc is expected to be made by the Supervisory Board by the summer of 2015, and in any case will not have any effect on the stake held by Vienna Airport plc in Malta International Airport plc.