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.
African low-cost start-up Fastjet plans to launch its first international flights Sept. 27 with the inauguration of services from its base at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. The Tanzanian airline says initially it will operate three weekly flight to Johannesburg, but adds “as demand for seats on Fastjet’s . . . Airbus A319s is expected to be high, the company intends to increase the frequency of flights.”
A Qatar Airways Boeing 787 was involved in a smoke incident at Doha International Airport earlier this week, say sources familiar with the situation. Smoke is understood to have been discovered towards the rear of the aircraft cabin, possibly originating in the equipment bay, the sources say.
Airbus has completed the first cabin virtual flight in the A350 flight-test program. The simulated flight took place at the manufacturer’s Hamburg site and involved cabin zero—a representative section of an A350 with real aircraft systems installed. According to Airbus, the test took 5 hr. and involved two pilots, eight flight attendants and 129 passengers, who brought hand luggage on board. During the exercise, a main meal course plus pre-landing snacks were served from the galleys.
