Réponse du conseil d’administration de Safran à TCI Fund Management Ltd

Paris, 23 février 2017

Le conseil d’Administration de SAFRAN a décidé d’adresser sous la signature de son Président Ross McInnes, une réponse à la lettre de TCI Fund Management Ltd (TCI) reçue le 14 février 2017. Celle-ci est accessible au même titre que l’ensemble des documents relatifs au projet d’acquisition de Zodiac Aerospace, sur le site internet du groupe : safran-zodiac.safran-group.com

IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This communication is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy or an invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction in connection with the proposed acquisition of Zodiac Aerospace (the “Transaction”) or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law.
The tender offer and the merger in connection with the Transaction are subject to consultation of the work’s council committees, execution of definitive documentation and obtaining of required regulatory and other customary authorisations. The tender offer and the merger would only be filed after such and other conditions have been fulfilled. These materials must not be published, released or distributed, directly or indirectly, in any jurisdiction where the distribution of such information is restricted by law.
It is intended that Safran and Zodiac Aerospace will file with the French Market Authority (“AMF”) a prospectus and other relevant documents with respect to the tender offer to be made in France, and with respect to the merger of Zodiac Aerospace into Safran. Pursuant to French regulations, the documentation with respect to the tender offer and the merger which, if filed, will state the terms and conditions of the tender offer and the merger will be subject to the review by the French Market Authority (AMF). Investors and shareholders in France are strongly advised to read, if and when they become available, the prospectus and related offer and merger materials regarding the tender offer and the merger referenced in this communication, as well as any amendments and supplements to those documents as they will contain important information regarding Safran, Zodiac Aerospace, the contemplated transactions and related matters.
ADDITIONAL U.S. INFORMATION
Any securities to be issued in connection with the Transaction may be required to be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The Transaction will be submitted to the shareholders of Zodiac Aerospace for their consideration. If registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) is required in connection with the Transaction, Safran will prepare a prospectus for Zodiac Aerospace’s shareholders to be filed with the SEC, will mail the prospectus to Zodiac Aerospace’s shareholders and file other documents regarding the Transaction with the SEC. Investors and shareholders are urged to read the prospectus and the registration statement of which it forms a part when and if it becomes available, as well as other documents that may be filed with the SEC, because they will contain important information. If registration with the SEC is required in connection with the Transaction, shareholders of Zodiac Aerospace will be able to obtain free copies of the prospectus and other documents filed by Safran with the SEC at the SEC’s web site, http://www.sec.gov. Those documents, if filed, may also be obtained free of charge by contacting Safran Investor Relations at 2, Boulevard du Général Martial Valin 75724 Paris Cedex 15 – France or by calling (33) 1 40 60 80 80. Alternatively, if the requirements of Rule 802 under the Securities Act are satisfied, offers and sales made by Safran in the Transaction will be exempt from the provisions of Section 5 of the Securities Act and no registration statement will be filed with the SEC by Safran.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This communication contains forward-looking statements relating to Safran, Zodiac Aerospace and their combined businesses, which do not refer to historical facts but refer to expectations based on management’s current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance, or events to differ materially from those included in such statements. These statements or disclosures may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future trends, plans, events, results of operations or financial condition, or state other information relating to Safran, Zodiac Aerospace and their combined businesses, based on current beliefs of management as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. Forward-looking statements generally will be accompanied by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “plan,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project” or other similar words, phrases or expressions. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond Safran’s or Zodiac Aerospace’s control. Therefore, investors and shareholders should not place undue reliance on such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: uncertainties related in particular to the economic, financial, competitive, tax or regulatory environment; the ability to obtain the approval of the Transaction by shareholders; failure to satisfy other closing conditions with respect to the Transaction on the proposed terms and timeframe; the possibility that the Transaction does not close when expected or at all; the risks that the new businesses will not be integrated successfully or that the combined company will not realize estimated cost savings and synergies; Safran’s or Zodiac Aerospace’s ability to successfully implement and complete its plans and strategies and to meet its targets; the benefits from Safran’s or Zodiac Aerospace’s (and their combined businesses) plans and strategies being less than anticipated; and the risks described in the registration document (document de référence). The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Safran and Zodiac Aerospace do not assume any obligation to update any public information or forward-looking statement in this communication to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this communication, except as may be required by applicable laws.
USE OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL INFORMATION
This press release contains supplemental non-GAAP financial information. Readers are cautioned that these measures are unaudited and not directly reflected in the Group’s financial statements as prepared under International Financial Reporting Standards and should not be considered as a substitute for GAAP financial measures. In addition, such non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similarly titled information from other companies.