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.
Austrian Airlines’ traffic it still declining at rapid pace, but the carrier at least managed to improve its load factor through sharp capacity cuts. The airline counted 8.9% fewer passengers in July, but it cut capacity 11.7% in the same period. The load factor was virtually unchanged at 79.8%. The biggest declines are attributable to long-haul services, with demand down 17%, while short- and medium-haul services were flat, and domestic traffic grew 0.8%.
Low-fare airline Sky Europe moved all of its previous Vienna flights to Bratislava, Slovakia, after it failed to meet a deadline for outstanding payments. The airline transferred its Vienna passengers to nearby Bratislava to depart from there. Vienna Airport set up an Aug. 14 deadline for Sky Europe to pay outstanding fees. Sky Europe claims it has paid 75% of what it owed the airport.
The first concrete signs are emerging that European passenger traffic has bottomed out and will gradually start increasing. But that does not mean airlines can breath easier yet, with yields still falling and cost pressures weighing on many carriers.
