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.
Jens Flottau (Frankfurt), Guy Norris (Los Angeles)
Boeing’s 787 program is facing more pressure on its flight-test schedule after the temporary grounding of the test fleet and with deliveries for several early customers delayed yet again.
Guy Norris (Los Angeles), Jens Flottau (Frankfurt), Max Kingsley-Jones (London)
Questions are emerging about the design and vulnerability to serious malfunction of both the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine and the Airbus A380 airframe following the destructive failure of one of the turbofans on Qantas Flight QF32 Nov. 4. Flying debris from the engine’s uncontained failure caused extensive airframe damage, and appears to have punctured fuel tanks and knocked out some of the A380’s hydraulic and electrical systems, as well as rendered the No. 1 engine unresponsive to shutdown attempts.
Airlines are facing much tougher security standards for airfreight in the wake of the printer-bomb scare that may threaten current operational practices and raise costs considerably. Authorities in the U.S. have tamped down on security, banning shipments from Yemen and Somalia and adding restrictions on transporting printer cartridges and toners. Meanwhile, European interior ministers are pushing for new and stricter regulations to be adopted in December.
