The majority owner of Klagenfurt Airport, the Lilihill Capital Group, does not want to put up with the decision of the supervisory board of the state-owned Carinthian investment company to pull the call option. It announces that it will seek every possible legal remedy against the “planned nationalization”.
The evaluators commissioned by KBV and Lilihill came to different conclusions. Those to whom the ÖVP politicians refer take the view that the corona pandemic does not matter and the state of Carinthia via the KBV can draw the call option and thus bring the airport back into state ownership. Lilihill refers to the expertise of other lawyers who, among other things, are of the opinion: “This decision is completely incomprehensible for several reasons: It was made contrary to opinions to the contrary, which give the buyback – and thus nationalization of the airport – vanishingly small chances. We expressly warn of a long legal dispute that would mean a standstill for the further development of the airport.”
Lilihill accuses the KBV and thus the state of Carinthia that the "illegitimate use of the call option would trigger claims for damages of up to 100 million euros". State politicians consciously accept this and “carelessly deal with public funds from Carinthians”. Lilihill further wrote in a media statement: “These claims will also be brought against all those responsible for the unlawful exercise of the call option. The corona pandemic in 2021 in question must undoubtedly be classified as force majeure, which the experts and experts believe is no longer the basis for exercising the call option. Even the board of directors of KBV has ruled out exercising the call option for 2021 because - according to the wording of the shareholder minutes - it would be a pandemic year!"
They now want to exhaust all legal options "to prevent nationalization of the airport". There is also a side swipe: “The nightly decision was made just before the joint one Press conference by Airport Klagenfurt and Ryanair, in which new destinations to and from Klagenfurt were announced (London, Manchester, Dublin and Brussels). When making the final decision on a possible buyback of the airport, the board of the Carinthian state government will have to take into account the long-term negative effects on the state capital and on Carinthia as a business location. Lilihill appeals to the constructive forces to use common sense and responsibility on behalf of the country to avert even greater damage."