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.
Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport said Tuesday it will likely delay the opening of its new Terminal 3 by two years. Fraport’s new CEO Stefan Schulte said in separate interviews that capital expenditure was to be stretched over a longer time period with traffic volumes currently falling.
German pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit and Air Berlin management are resuming talks to resolve their long-standing dispute today, after pilots at subsidiary LTU International Airways staged a 16 hour-strike on Monday. The airline was forced to cancel several flights and incurred substantial delays. Air Berlin says LTU pilots want an 11% pay increase – a demands that the company turned down.
Lufthansa Cargo may get rid of all of its 19 MD-11 freighters if a court ruling banning night flights at Frankfurt Airport is upheld. CEO Carsten Spohr said that keeping the fleet without being able to operate nightly takeoffs in Frankfurt was not economically viable any more. In this case, Lufthansa Cargo would focus on belly freight onboard Lufthansa’s passenger airline fleet, and cut about half of its 5,000-strong workforce. As a result of the global slump in airfreight, six MD-11s are currently pulled from revenue services.
