UPDATE: Lufthansa Closes Takeover Of Austrian Airlines
September 03 2009 - 4:55AM
Dow Jones News
German flagship airline Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA.XE) has
concluded its takeover of Austrian Airlines AG (AUA.VI), the
airline said Thursday.
All conditions for the transactions are now fulfilled, Lufthansa
said.
Austrian Airlines, which has been squeezed financially in recent
years, first by high jet fuel prices and then by the economic
downturn and falling passenger numbers, will become part of
Lufthansa as of September.
The European Union Commission approved the merger on the
condition Austrian Airlines give up routes between Vienna and a
number of German destinations and Brussels. It also approved EUR500
million of restructuring aid injected into Austrian Air by the
Austrian government on the condition Austrian Air shed 15% of its
flight capacity before the end of next year.
Lufthansa agreed to buy the Austrian state's 41.6% stake in
Austrian Air, and to place a EUR4.49 a share takeover offer for the
remaining shares last year, but the deal hinged on final approval
by the commission.
Lufthansa said it will hold more than 90% of shares in Austrian
Airlines through OeLH, or OesterreichischeLuftverkehrs Holding
GmbH, after the extended acceptance period. OeLH will carry out all
necessary steps to squeeze out the rest of the minority
shareholders.
Austrian Airlines shareholders who offered their shares for sale
by May 11 and didn't exercise the right to withdraw which was
granted in the meantime, will be paid the offer price of EUR4.49 a
share. In total, Lufthansa will pay a sum of about EUR166 million
to the shareholders for the 36,959,414 shares.
The airline said all shareholders, who haven't yet accepted its
offer have until Sept. 9 to offer their shares.
Company Web site: http://konzern.lufthansa.com
-By Kirsten Bienk, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 69 29725 500;
djnews.frankfurt@dowjones.com