The European Investment Bank (EIB) provides a EUR 400 million financing to Flughafen Wien for the construction of a new passenger terminal and improvement of the airside and landside infrastructure of the Vienna airport.

The new so called Skylink terminal will increase the current airport annual capacity from 16 to 25 million passengers to meet the expected demand increase up to 2015. It will provide a floor area of 150,000 m2 and will increase the busy hour rate to 6,100 passengers per hour. This capacity extension will reduce congestion, increase service quality and save time of passengers due to improved traffic flows.

The total cost of the project represents EUR 845 million. It also involves the upgrading of the current airport railway station, the construction of two multi-storey car parks, an air traffic control tower as well as a baggage handling system.

Mr. Wolfgang Roth, EIB Vice-President, commented: I am particularly happy that the EIB supports the extension of the Vienna International Airport, a significant traffic hub between western and central and eastern Europe. Improved traffic links in the enlarged Union will deepen the integration of our continent with positive implications for citizens' quality of life and economic development.

Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien AG structured as Mandated Lead Arranger and Agent this transaction for Flughafen Wien AG and arranged via an auction process a syndicate of bank guarantors including the following banks acting as placement guarantors Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien AG, Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG, Niederösterreichische Landesbank-Hypothekenbank AG and Raiffeisen-Landesbank Steiermark AG. The biggest commitment within the syndicate were made by WestLB AG and Kommunalkredit Austria AG. Further participants within the guarantee syndicate are Banca OPI S.p.A., BAWAG P.S.K. Bank für Arbeit und Wirtschaft und Österreichische Postsparkasse AG and Erste Bank der österreichischen Sparkassen AG.

The European Investment Bank (EIB'), the long term lending institution of the EU finances investment projects fostering EU integration. It has provided loans to Austria amounting to more than EUR 5 billion in the recent five years.

Improvement of infrastructure, particularly transport projects along the trans-European corridors including upgrading and modernization of important international airports is one of the EIB's lending priorities. Recently, the Bank has approved a loan of EUR 120 million to extend and upgrade the Austrian Westbahn railway mainline Salzburg-Linz-Wien and a loan of EUR 350 million for the PPP Ostergion Autobahn. This project covers planning, construction, financing and operation of the south section of the A5 Northern Motorway, sections S1 East and West on the Vienna Outer Ring Expressway and section S2 on the Vienna Northern Perimeter expressway.