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.
Air France has taken delivery of its first Airbus A380 in handover ceremonies Friday at the Airbus factory in Hamburg, Germany. Air France is the first European airline to get the aircraft and will be the first to introduce it in transatlantic service from Europe, although Emirates has operated the aircraft on the Dubai-New York route.
Lufthansa plans to save €2.1 billion (US$3.1 billion) in capital expenditures over the next four years by stretching out aircraft deliveries. Ten aircraft could be affected in 2010, CFO Stephan Gemkow said yesterday, declining to specify which models. The airline no longer confirms it will take five Airbus A380s next year. In addition to 15 A380s, it has 20 Boeing 747-8s on order plus dozens of A320 family narrowbodies and a total of 10 A330s for both Swiss and Lufthansa.
US Airways would be interested in joining the transatlantic joint venture Atlantic Plus-Plus with United, Lufthansa, Continental and Air Canada “at some point,” CEO Doug Parker told The DAILY at the Star Alliance event in New York. He did not want to discuss when that might happen, however. The four-way joint venture was approved earlier this year by competition authorities.
