New AI Board of Directors Files Multi-Million Euro Lawsuits Against Meinl Bank AG and Meinl Airport Managers Limited

Jersey (OTS) - The Board of Directors of AI Airports International
(AI) announced today that it has filed counterclaims in lawsuits
brought by Meinl Bank AG and Meinl Airport Managers Limited (MAM),
asserting compensation for damages and recovery of fees paid
totalling approximately EUR 245 million, and to recover attorney’s
fees. These claims are based, amongst other factors, on the results
of a very detailed and comprehensive evaluation implemented over a
period of several months, which focused on the business practices of
AI since the Initial Public Offering in early 2007, which had been
driven by MAM and implemented by the previous Board of Directors
selected by Meinl Bank AG.

The largest single claim amounting to about EUR 211 million was
recently filed against MAM with the Royal Court of the Island of
Jersey. AI alleges that MAM has committed numerous and serious
violations of its contractual obligations in connection with the
Management Agreement, which are stated in the claim to have caused
about EUR 211 million in damage to AI. For its part, MAM has filed
various lawsuits against AI claiming unspecified damages as high as
EUR 72 million for AI’s alleged repudiation of the Management
Agreement.

In another legal process, AI has filed a lawsuit with the
International Arbitration Court at the Austrian Federal Economic
Chamber in Vienna against Meinl Bank AG with respect to the Placement
and Market Maker Agreement. AI is demanding a refund of EUR 32.3
million in fees paid to Meinl Bank AG. AI bases its lawsuit on the
payment of excessive fees which were invoiced to AI by Meinl Bank AG.
In this regard, AI asserts that Meinl Bank AG and third parties
wilfully collaborated to harm AI. This lawsuit was contested by Meinl
Bank AG which also filed a counterclaim with the Arbitration Court
for outstanding fees in the amount of approx. EUR 617,000.

In connection with the rescission of the Licence Agreement
concluded between Meinl Bank AG and the previous AI Board of
Directors regulating the use of the "Meinl" name and logo, Meinl Bank
AG has filed a claim for damages against AI amounting to a total of
EUR 11.4 million with the English High Court of Justice in London.
This lawsuit is also being contested by AI, which responded with a
Defence and Counterclaim totalling EUR 1.2 million. By its terms when
the Management Agreement came to an end, the Licence Agreement
terminated automatically.

Furthermore, AI has filed a claim with the Commercial Court of
Vienna designed to compel Meinl Bank AG to surrender AI certificates
in its possession (about 2.1 million certificates), and a request for
a preliminary injunction to prohibit Meinl Bank AG from selling these
certificates or to perform other actions that could frustrate or
significantly hinder AI’s claim for surrender.

According to Wolfgang Vilsmeier, CEO of AI, these lawsuits are a
"necessary step to pro-actively protect the interests of AI's
investors, in order to seek compensation for the damage caused by the
former AI management, Meinl Bank AG and its 100%-subsidiary MAM
vis-à-vis AI's certificate owners. We are obliged to move ahead with
these lawsuits in the light of the information we have gathered and
the evidence now available to us".

More information on AI Airports International is available at:
www.airportsinternational.eu

Rückfragehinweis:
Please address any inquiries to:
Investor Relations and Public Relations
Hochegger Financial Relations GmbH; Dieter Riedlinger
T: +43 (01) 504 69 87 44; M: d.riedlinger@hochegger.com

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