Wiesbaden/Munich, 8 March 2007 - The technology group The Linde Group has sold Linde's non-BOC gases activities in the UK ("Linde Gas UK") to the worldwide industrial and medical gases company Air Liquide at an enterprise value of 105 million euro. This divestiture was one of the antitrust conditions imposed by the European Commission arising from the acquisition of The BOC Group plc by Linde which became effective on 5 September 2006. Linde Gas UK achieved sales of around 60 million euro in the 2006 financial year, and currently employs a staff of around 280. Linde and Air Liquide expect the transaction to be completed in due course, subject to clearance from the competition authorities and the fulfilment of certain other closing conditions. The Linde Group is a world leading industrial gases and engineering company with more than 53,000 employees working in around 70 countries worldwide. Following the acquisition of The BOC Group, the company has gases and engineering sales of approximately 12 billion euro. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. For more information, please see The Linde Group online at http://www.linde.com. For further information: Press Uwe Wolfinger Telephone: +49.89.35757-1320 Investor Relations Thomas Eisenlohr Telephone: +49.89.35757-1330 --- End of Message --- Linde AG: Abraham-Lincoln-Str. 21 Wiesbaden Germany WKN: 648300; ISIN: DE0006483001; Index: CDAX, DAX, HDAX, Prime All Share; Listed: Amtlicher Markt in Hanseatische Wertpapierbörse zu Hamburg, Prime Standard in Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse, Amtlicher Markt in Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse, Amtlicher Markt in Bayerische Börse München, Amtlicher Markt in Börse Berlin Bremen, Amtlicher Markt in Börse Düsseldorf, Amtlicher Markt in Börse Stuttgart, Freiverkehr in Niedersächsische Börse zu Hannover;