On February 13, 2023, E+H announced that Airports Group Europe's increase of stake in the Vienna Airport through a voluntary public offer (reported by CEE Legal Matters on August 16, 2022) had closed.
Airports Group Europe currently holds a 43.37% stake in the Vienna Airport. It is an indirect subsidiary of the IFM Global Infrastructure Fund.
"We are very pleased with the result of the public offer and the lively interest of investors," IFM Investors Executive Director Werner Kerschl commented. "The increase in our share also underlines our commitment to a long-term and responsible commitment at Vienna Airport and to Austria as an investment location. As the largest shareholder of the airport, we look forward to continuing cooperation with the other shareholders, the supervisory board, and the executive board for the benefit of Vienna Airport."
As previously reported, last year E+H had advised Airports Group Europe on its partial voluntary public offer to increase its stake in Flughafen Wien Aktiengesellschaft to over 40%. The offer, launched in accordance with the Austrian Takeover Act, targeted free-float shareholders (roughly 10% of total shares).
E+H also advised on the subsequent "investment control proceedings for the approval of the transaction before the Austrian Ministry of Labour and Economy, which was approved in phase II. This was the first public tender offer under the Austrian takeover act that required approval under the new Austrian investment control act. Due to Vienna Airport's shareholding in Malta Airport, approval was also required from the Maltese investment control authority."
The IFM Global Infrastructure Fund is managed by IFM Investors, a global funds manager owned by a group of Australian pension funds.
The E+H team included Partners Philipp Karaman, Judith Feldner, and Ulrike Sehrschoen, Attorney-at-Law Felix Frommelt, and Associates Laura Glibusic, Alexander Reiter, Vincenz Stockert, Marcel Neuhauser, and Titus Kahr.