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.
Europe’s air transport sector is headed for increased legal and labor turmoil as financial difficulties push airlines and employees to become even more adversarial. The fault lines run beyond the traditional divide between airline management and labor—carriers are also striking out against each other and cohesion within unions is fraying. The situation in Europe is particularly tense, with the economy still mired in the doldrums and fears of a deepening recession ever present.
Air Berlin sees significant risks in the current financial year, as concerns mount over the effect of the Greek financial crisis and a strengthening U.S. dollar. The airline is not saying whether it expects to be profitable this year despite the anticipated economic recovery that is already perceptible in forward bookings to destinations other than Greece.
Dubai’s new al-Makhtoum International Airport will open on June 27, a senior manager for the Dubai World Central project said yesterday. The facility initially will be available for cargo carriers with a freight terminal being able to handle 250,000 tons per year initially. The capacity will rise to 600,000 tons later. A first passenger terminal will also be opened soon. The building is expected to handle about 7 million passengers annually and could be used mainly by low-fare carriers.
