Empresas y finanzas

Aeroports de Paris: H1 2007 Results (1) Net Income before Non-Recurring Items Rises Strongly: Up 24.6%



    Regulatory News:

    Aeroports de Paris (Pink Sheets:AEOPF) (Paris:ADP):

    -- Solid revenue growth, up 9% to EUR 1,081.4 million

    -- Current operating income increases 13.6% to EUR 209.2 million

    -- Strong growth in net income before non-recurring items,
    up 24.6% to EUR 114.5 million

    -- 2007 passenger traffic forecast revised upward
    to a target range of between 4% and 4.4%

    -- Expansion of retail areas: an extra 2,365 sqm will be added to
    the original development plan by 2008

    Pierre Graff, Chairman and CEO of Aeroports de Paris, comments:

    "Our first-half results are strong. With the CDGVal light train
    line entering service in April and the opening of the Parisian Gallery
    in June, Aeroports de Paris is pursuing its strategy of increasing
    passenger handling capacity, improving service quality and developing
    retail activities. For the year-end period, we are raising our
    estimates of passenger traffic growth to a target range of between 4%
    and 4.4%. We also announce the acceleration of our plan to expand
    retail areas, with an extra 2,365 square metres added to our original
    development plan by 2008."

    -0-
    *T
    KEY FIGURES H1 2006(2) H1 2007 % change
    In millions of euros
    ----------------------------- ------------------ ----------- --------
    Revenues 991.8 1,081.4 +9.0%
    ----------------------------- ------------------ ----------- --------
    EBITDA 326.3 354.0 +8.5%
    ----------------------------- ------------------ ----------- --------
    Current operating income 184.3 209.2 +13.6%
    ----------------------------- ------------------ ----------- --------
    Operating income 130.1 176.9 +36.0%
    ----------------------------- ------------------ ----------- --------
    Reported net income 44.9 201.6 +349.0%
    ----------------------------- ------------------ ----------- --------
    Net income excluding
    non-recurring items (a) 91.9 114.5 +24.6%
    ----------------------------- ------------------ ----------- --------
    *T

    (a) In 2006, non-recurring items primarily consisted of
    IPO-related expenses. In 2007, non-recurring items include
    restructuring provisions for the ground handling segment and the
    proceeds from the disposal of our stake in the Beijing airport (BCIA).

    (2) 2006 figures have been retreated to be consistent with 2007
    IAS 17 format

    I. GROUP RESULTS

    Buoyant traffic and solid revenue growth

    The Group generated revenues of EUR 1,081.4 million, up 9%, thanks
    to ongoing passenger traffic growth (+4.4% to nearly 41.5 million
    passengers), the development of real estate business, and the strong
    contribution of subsidiaries.

    Current expenses increased 9.9%:

    -- External services rose 9.5% to EUR 268.9 million, notably due
    to the increase in sub-contracting expenses following the
    rapid development of ADPi's business.

    -- Purchases were up 7.8%. This increase is entirely due to
    greater merchandise purchases following the expansion of SDA's
    scope of business to include Paris-Orly and Paris-CDG Terminal
    3 (EUR 10.9 million). Other purchases declined, especially
    fuel purchases due to mild weather conditions last winter.

    -- Personnel expenses rose only 4.6% to EUR 329.1 million. This
    growth is primarily due to the increase in the number of
    employees at subsidiaries. The number of employees at
    Aeroports de Paris SA, the parent company, declined 2%
    reflecting the Group's ongoing productivity efforts and the
    decline in ground handling staff employed by the parent
    company.

    EBITDA increased 8.5% to EUR 354 million compared to H1 2006.

    The current operating margin improves

    Current operating income increased 13.6% to EUR 209.2 million. The
    current operating margin was 19.3% of revenues, up from 18.6% in H1
    2006.

    Other non-current income and expenses was a negative EUR 32.3
    million, mainly due to a restructuring provision of EUR 30.8 million
    for the ground handling segment.

    The Group generated operating income of EUR 176.9 million, up a
    robust 36% compared to H1 2006, a period hit by EUR 52.7 million in
    IPO-related spending.

    Net finance results swung from a negative EUR 45.2 million to a
    positive EUR 69.7 million, following the EUR 109.8 million capital
    gain on the disposal of Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA)
    shares on 26 February 2007.

    Strong increase in net income excluding non-recurring items

    Reported net income was EUR 201.6 million, an increase of EUR
    156.7 million over the H1 2006 figure. Restated for non-recurring
    items pertaining to IPO-related expenses in H1 2006 and to the
    restructuring provision for the ground handling segment and the
    disposal of BCIA shares in H1 2007, net income excluding non-recurring
    items increased a robust 24.6% to EUR 114.5 million.

    II. OPERATIONAL INFORMATION BY SEGMENT

    Traffic growth and retail business boost airport services

    Revenues in the Airport Services segment increased 5.4% to EUR
    872.3 million, thanks to strong growth in airport fees, bolstered by
    robust passenger traffic growth and higher airport fees (+4.25% at 1
    April 2007). Retail business grew at a satisfying pace (+5.6%),
    notably at duty-free shops.

    Current operating income for the segment increased 12.3% to EUR
    222.2 million. The current operating margin improved significantly to
    25.5%, up 1.6 points from the year-earlier period.

    Restructuring of Ground Handling segment

    Ground Handling and Related Services generated revenues of EUR
    93.5 million, up 12.9% compared to H1 2006, a period hard hit by the
    loss of major contracts in late 2005. Within this segment, revenues
    from security services rose a strong 26.5%.

    The segment posted a current operating loss of EUR 8.6 million,
    compared to EUR 10.1 million in H1 2006 and EUR 7.3 million in H2
    2006.

    The restructuring plan for grounding handling activities that is
    being negociated, aims to bring all the operations under the roof of a
    single subsidiary. This plan should be implemented between 2007 and
    the first half of 2009. A job management agreement signed with the
    union organisations on 16 July 2007 provides for each of the 662
    employees concerned to be offered an appropriate solution, with no
    compulsory departures from the company. The process of notifying and
    consulting the Staff Council concerning the plan to reorganise the
    ground handling services business must be finalised prior to
    implementation (this process will take place in September 2007). The
    total cost of the plan is estimated at EUR 43.8 million, and a
    provision of EUR 30.8 million was set aside in H1 2007. The remaining
    EUR 13 million will be recognised at a later date as current charges
    on the financial statements.

    Given the progress that has been made on the restructuring plan,
    Aeroports de Paris expects the ground handling activity to return to
    breakeven in the year 2009.

    Significant improvement in profitability in the Real Estate
    segment

    The Real Estate segment generated revenues of EUR 95.5m, up 10.5%
    compared to H1 2006, mainly due to the indexation of leases to the
    cost of construction index (up 7% since 1 January 2007) and the
    growing importance of leases for new surface areas to accommodate the
    West Maintenance Base for the future A380 and the Air France hub
    maintenance centre at Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

    Current operating profit for the segment was EUR 32.0 million, up
    32.3% from the year-earlier period. The current operating margin rose
    5.5 points to 33.5%. Part of this strong growth can be attributed to
    the exceptional depreciation of EUR 4 million for renovation work and
    the demolition of old buildings in H1 2006. Excluding this positive
    basis of comparison, the operating margin improved by 1.4 points.

    Rapid development of subsidiaries (Other Activities)

    Other Activities generated revenues of EUR 146.6 million, up 35.1%
    compared to H1 2006.

    Yet current operating income declined to EUR 7.7 million, from EUR
    11.1 million in the year-earlier period. The year 2006 benefited from
    two factors that were not repeated in 2007: certain revenues were
    transferred to the Airport Services segment, and the favourable
    settlement of an export claim in 2006.

    The decline in current operating income does not reflect the true
    performance of our subsidiaries, which was very strong:

    -- Societe de Distribution Aeroportuaire (SDA), which directly
    operates shops specialising in alcohol, tobacco, perfume,
    cosmetics and gourmet foods, reported an 82.2% increase in
    current operating income to EUR 4.1 million, thanks to robust
    sales in duty-free shops and the expansion of its scope of
    business to Paris-CDG Terminal 3 and Paris-Orly as of 1
    January 2007.

    -- ADPi, the engineering subsidiary reported a 67% increase in
    current operating income to EUR 1.4 million, thanks to
    numerous new contracts, notably in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and
    Bogota, Colombia.

    -- Current operating income at Hub Telecom increased 12.2% to EUR
    3.3 million thanks to the development of corporate and
    consumer WiFi.

    -- Lastly, current operating income at Aeroports de Paris
    Management more than tripled (+266.7% to EUR 0.5 million)
    after the subsidiary won two major contracts in Jeddah, Saudi
    Arabia and Amman, Jordan.

    BALANCE SHEET

    Net debt was flat at EUR 1,872 million, with a net debt to equity
    ratio of 0.66.

    OUTLOOK FOR 2007

    Considering the strength of passenger traffic in the first seven
    months of the year, the Group is raising its full-year 2007 forecast
    to a target range of between 4% and 4.4% (vs a previous range of
    between 3.7% and 4.2%).

    Two factors will fuel Group revenue growth:

    -- The 4.25% increase in airport fees, including inflation, since
    1 April 2007.

    -- The expansion of the scope of business of Societe de
    Distribution Aeroportuaire (SDA) to include Paris-Orly and
    Paris-CDG Terminal 3 effective 1 January 2007.

    Under these conditions, the Group is forecasting 2007 EBITDA
    growth in line with the good performance reported in H1 2007.

    AGENDA

    Publication of Q3 2007 revenues: 9 November 2007

    A webcast of the H1 2007 earnings presentation can be seen at the
    following address:
    http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/Adp/fr-FR/Groupe/Finances/

    INTERIM FINANCIAL REPORT

    The interim financial report is available on the Company's
    website: http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/Adp/frFR/Groupe/Finances/
    InformationsReglementeesAMF/.

    (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into
    your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one
    exists.)

    Warning concerning forward-looking statements

    Forward-looking statements are included in the above press
    release. They are based on data, assumptions and estimates deemed
    sensible by Aeroports de Paris. They notably include information
    regarding the financial condition, results of operations and business
    of Aeroports de Paris. These forward-looking statements include risks,
    uncertainties and may be adversely affected by known or unknown
    factors, most of which cannot be controlled by Aeroports de Paris and
    cannot be easily predicted. A list of risk factors can be found in the
    reference document filed on April 21, 2006 with the French financial
    markets authority (AMF) under the number I. 06-036. They can lead to
    results substantially different from the information included in the
    forward-looking statements.

    APPENDIX: BREAKDOWN BY SEGMENT

    AIRPORT SERVICES

    -0-
    *T
    In millions of euros H1 2006 H1 2007 % change
    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    Revenues 827.4 872.3 5.4%
    EBITDA 313.8 343.1 9.3%
    Current operating income 197.8 222.2 12.3%
    ===================================================================
    *T

    GROUND HANDLING AND RELATED SERVICES

    -0-
    *T
    In millions of euros H1 2006 H1 2007 % change
    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    Revenues 82.8 93.5 12.9%
    EBITDA - 8.6 - 7.3 14.8%
    Current operating loss - 10.1 - 8.6 14.8%
    ===================================================================
    *T

    REAL ESTATE

    -0-
    *T
    In millions of euros H1 2006 H1 2007 % change
    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    Revenues 86.4 95.5 10.5%
    EBITDA 42.5 47.6 12.1%
    Current operating income 24.2 32.0 32.3%
    ===================================================================
    *T

    OTHER ACTIVITIES

    -0-
    *T
    In millions of euros H1 2006 H1 2007 % change
    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    Revenues 108.5 146.6 35.1%
    EBITDA 17.2 14.6 - 15.1%
    Current operating income 11.1 7.7 - 30.4%
    ===================================================================
    *T

    Consolidated income statement

    -0-
    *T
    (in thousands of euros) Notes H1 H1
    2007 2006
    ------------------------------------------- ----- --------- ---------
    Revenue 7 1,081,355 991,847
    ------------------------------------------- ----- --------- ---------
    Other ordinary operating income 8 9,171 6,606
    Own work capitalized 9 23,535 20,715
    Changes in finished goods inventory 40 101
    Raw materials and consumables used (67,436) (62,571)
    Employee benefits costs 10 (329,075) (314,508)
    Other ordinary operating expenses 11 (369,612) (320,065)
    Depreciation and amortization 12 (144,755) (142,135)
    Impairment of assets, net 12 2,335 3,875
    Net allowances to provisions 12 3,677 402
    Current operating income 209,236 184,267
    ------------------------------------------- ----- --------- ---------
    Other operating income and expenses 13,0 (32,291) (54,120)
    Operating income 176,945 130,147
    ------------------------------------------- ----- --------- ---------
    Financial income 14 231,495 32,187
    Finance expenses 14 (161,780) (77,339)
    Net finance income (costs) 14 69,715 (45,152)
    ------------------------------------------- ----- --------- ---------
    Share in earnings of associates 15,0 1,200 1,203
    Income before tax 247,860 86,198
    ------------------------------------------- ----- --------- ---------
    Income tax expense 16 (46,302) (41,308)
    Net income for the period 201,558 44,890
    ------------------------------------------- ----- --------- ---------
    Net income attributable to minority
    interests - -
    Net income attributable to equity holders
    of the parent 201,558 44,890
    ------------------------------------------- ----- --------- ---------
    Earnings per share (EPS) attributable to
    holders of ordinary
    shares of the parent:
    Basic EPS (in euros) 17 2.04 0.52
    Diluted EPS (in euros) 17 2.04 0.52
    ------------------------------------------- ----- --------- ---------
    *T

    Consolidated balance sheet

    -0-
    *T
    ASSETS At At
    (in thousands of euros) 30.06.2007 31.12.2006
    ----------------------------------------------- ---------- ----------
    Intangible assets 40,277 36,714
    Property, plant and equipment 5,016,020 4,838,942
    Investment property 279,541 284,233
    Investments in associates 30,817 20,186
    Other non-current financial assets 79,260 242,045
    Deferred tax assets 1,550 1,417
    Non-current assets 5,447,465 5,423,537
    ----------------------------------------------- ---------- ----------
    Inventories 9,298 7,462
    Trade receivables 464,757 401,089
    Other accounts receivable and prepaid expenses 104,093 115,164
    Other current financial assets 60,715 84,267
    Current tax assets 634 654
    Cash and cash equivalents 472,093 509,188
    Current assets 1,111,590 1,117,823
    ----------------------------------------------- ---------- ----------
    TOTAL ASSETS 6,559,054 6,541,361
    ----------------------------------------------- ---------- ----------

    ----------------------------------------------- ---------- ----------
    EQUITY AND LIABILITIES At At
    (in thousands of euros) 30.06.2007 31.12.2006
    ----------------------------------------------- ---------- ----------
    Share capital 296,882 296,882
    Share premium 542,747 542,747
    Treasury shares (1,464) -
    Translation reserve (351) (200)
    Fair value reserve - 70,728
    Retained earnings 1,783,825 1,724,496
    Net income for the period 201,558 152,136
    Equity 2,823,197 2,786,789
    ----------------------------------------------- ---------- ----------
    Non-current debt 2,218,811 2,270,411
    Provisions for employee benefit obligations
    (more than one year) 409,921 388,354
    Other non-current provisions 234 357
    Deferred tax liabilities 71,708 74,044
    Other non-current liabilities 33,317 33,123
    Non-current liabilities 2,733,990 2,766,289
    ----------------------------------------------- ---------- ----------
    Trade payables 345,967 411,178
    Other liabilities and deferred income 381,263 309,133
    Current debt 160,089 158,286
    Provisions for employee benefit obligations
    (more than one year) 29,929 29,933
    Other current provisions 76,343 71,475
    Current tax payables 8,277 8,278
    Current liabilities 1,001,867 988,283
    ----------------------------------------------- ---------- ----------
    TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 6,559,054 6,541,361
    ----------------------------------------------- ---------- ----------
    *T

    Consolidated cash flow statement

    -0-
    *T
    (in thousands of euros) H1 H1
    2007 2006
    ------------------------------------------------- --------- ---------
    Operating income 176,945 130,147
    Adjustment for non-cash income and expenses:
    - Depreciation, amortization, impairment and net
    allowances to provisions 171,184 149,770
    - Capital losses (gains) on disposals 1,896 (386)
    - Cost of employee benefits as part of the
    employee profit-sharing offer - 33,331
    - Other 559 (3,387)
    Time lag in receipt of insurance payments for
    Terminal 2E - 41,411
    Interest expense other than cost of net debt (433) (4,225)
    --------- ---------
    Operating cash flow before changes in working
    capital and tax 350,151 346,660
    Decrease (increase) in inventories (1,778) (755)
    Increase in trade and other receivables (52,281) (29,605)
    Increase in trade and other payables 64,132 (8,411)
    --------- ---------
    Change in working capital 10,074 (38,772)
    Income taxes paid (47,777) (79,803)
    ------------------------------------------------- --------- ---------
    Cash flows from operating activities 312,448 228,085
    ------------------------------------------------- --------- ---------
    Acquisitions of subsidiaries (net of cash
    acquired) (165) (20)
    Purchase of property, plant and equipment and
    intangible assets (335,249) (287,119)
    Acquisition of non-consolidated equity interests (1,160) (4)
    Change in other financial assets (3,647) 8,322
    Proceeds from sale of property, plant & equipment 5,269 117,555
    Proceeds from sale of non-consolidated
    investments 189,872 75
    Dividends received 1,136 2
    Change in debt and advances on asset acquisitions (45,187) (61,962)
    ------------------------------------------------- --------- ---------
    Cash flows from investing activities (189,131) (223,151)
    ------------------------------------------------- --------- ---------
    Capital grants received (repaid) in the period 477 897
    Proceeds from issue of shares or other equity
    instruments - 581,253
    Purchase of treasury shares (net of disposals) (1,292) -
    Dividends paid to shareholders of the parent
    company (93,007) (63,169)
    Proceeds on issuance of long-term debt 2,764 2,213
    Repayment of long-term debt (4,828) (4,441)
    Interest paid (115,156) (107,935)
    Interest received 54,251 45,854
    ------------------------------------------------- --------- ---------
    Cash flows from financing activities (156,791) 454,672
    ------------------------------------------------- --------- ---------
    Change in cash and cash equivalents (33,474) 459,606
    ------------------------------------------------- --------- ---------
    Net cash and cash equivalents at beginning of
    period 503,102 381,328
    Net cash and cash equivalents at end of period 469,629 840,934
    ------------------------------------------------- --------- ---------
    *T

    (1) Unless indicated otherwise, all the percentage mentioned in
    the press release compare half-year 2007 to half-year 2006 figures

    Aeroports de Paris builds, develops and manages airports including
    Paris-Orly, Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Le Bourget. Aeroports de
    Paris is the 2nd European airport group in terms of airport turnover
    and the 1st European airport group in terms of cargo and mail.
    Aeroports de Paris accommodates nearly 460 airlines, mainly the major
    actors of air transport.

    Benefiting from an exceptional geographical location and a major
    trading area, the group's strategy is to modernize its terminal
    facilities and to upgrade its quality of service. It also intends to
    develop its retail and real estate business. In 2006, Aeroports de
    Paris Group had a turnover of 2,076 million euros, and it handled 82,5
    million passengers.