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 prospect for a new delivery record and the growing backlog that Airbus forecasts for 2011 might suggest the dark days are behind the European aircraft maker, but plenty of headwind persists that could cause serious disruptions to the business. Management attention is shifting from the crisis of recent years—when airlines deferred and canceled orders—to the pitfalls of increasing output while facing supplier bottlenecks, rising raw material costs and questions about the duration of this up cycle.
Andrew Compart (Washington), Jens Flottau (Frankfurt)
Coming off a surprisingly profitable 2010, the world’s airlines enter 2011 with a strong tailwind. The industry is expected to make money again this year, provided the recovery isn’t stalled by sluggish GDP growth, high fuel prices or governments seeking additional tax revenue. All three are legitimate concerns moving forward, as are the impact of various legislative and governmental policy initiatives. Also to be considered are the factors under more direct control of the carriers, such as capacity discipline, merger proposals and alliance maneuvering.
Middle East Airlines will soon sign an agreement to join the SkyTeam alliance in 2012. MEA will be the second carrier in the region after Saudi Arabian Airlines to become a SkyTeam member. The alliance has recruited a host of new members recently, including China Airlines, China Eastern and Garuda Indonesia.
