Air Liquide approves consolidated accounts 2006

The Board of Directors of Air Liquide chaired by Benoît Potier met on 26th February 2007 and approved the consolidated accounts for 2006.

Consolidated 2006 revenue amounted to €10,949m, up 5.7 percent on a comparable basis. Net profit in 2006 totaled €1,002m, up 11.4 percent over comparable net profit of €900m in 2005. Operating income recurring and margins improved significantly, as a result of continued improvement in efficiency and productivity.

Over the past four years, the Group has considerably strengthened its position, through investments both in high growth economies and in already expanding markets, such as hydrogen and respiratory homecare. The Group has also prepared for the future by seizing acquisition opportunities, to enlarge its bases in the United States, Europe and more recently in Asia. These actions have led to a significant increase in its investment programmes from 2006, as part of a new phase of its development.

Benoît Potier, chairman and CEO, said: $quot;For Air Liquide, 2006 was another year of growth and development in all of its business lines and geographic regions. Our rigorous operational management has allowed us to significantly improve our margins and to post a strong increase in net profit, which exceeds €1bn for the first time.$quot;