He started his journalism career in 1992 as a freelance writer for Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany’s largest daily national newspaper and soon specialised in air transport. Jens joined Aviation Week and Aviation Daily in 2000 as one of the European correspondents. Later his role was expanded to cover international air transport. In 2013 he was named Managing Editor Commercial.
Jens frequently appears on radio and TV to comment on industry matters. In 2003, he received the Hugo Junkers Award of the German aviation press for his coverage of Fairchild Dornier’s bankruptcy. He was named the country’s top travel and air transport writer by the Travel Industry Club three times. Jens graduated from the Munich School of Journalism.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has given firm backing to Ryanair’s safety standards after a pilots group criticized the airline for trying to intimidate crews to accept potentially negative consequences on safety. According to a survey conducted by the Ryanair Pilot Group (RPG)—an informal collection of pilots trying to become the labor group’s official representative—89% of the low-cost carrier’s pilots say that the airline does not have an open and transparent safety culture.
An Antonov An-12 freighter was destroyed in a fire at Leipzig Airport in Germany early Friday. The aircraft was parked at the cargo apron and had started up engines 1 and 4 when the fuselage was suddenly engulfed in flames. The seven-member crew escaped unharmed, but thousands of live chickens burned. The aircraft belonged to Ukraine Air Alliance. The airline is based in Kiev/Ukraine and specializes in freight charters. Its fleet consists of An-12s, An-26s and Ilyushin Il-76s.
Etihad Airways is in negotiations with the Polish treasury about an equity investment in LOT Polish Airlines, sources close to the talks tell Aviation Week. The negotiations are already at an advanced stage, they say, but it could still take several months for the process to be finalized.
