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.
The ministers of the four European Airbus countries failed to reach an agreement on development for the Airbus A350XWB at their latest meeting on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show. While they reached an agreement in principle that they would like to support Airbus with reimbursable loans according to the 1992 compromise on large-aircraft financing, important details are still being discussed. The Spanish delegation did not show up at the meeting, much to the surprise of their German, British and French colleagues.
Jens Flottau (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Adrian Schofield (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
Two major airline alliances—Star and Oneworld—are looking at how they can best adjust to help their members through an industry downturn. The Star Alliance hopes to streamline its decision-making process even as it adds more members, after a major change in its corporate governance structure. Rival Oneworld also is expanding and looking to boost cost-saving efforts.
Adrian Schofield (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Jens Flottau (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
While the steep decline in global travel demand may finally be leveling out, the airline industry’s future looks cloudier than ever. Hopes for a steady recovery are being dashed by the prospect of prolonged yield weakness and the new threat of rising oil prices. And even as airlines are scrambling to defer aircraft orders—particularly in Asia, where the pain is greatest—many still worry that surplus capacity could stifle long-term growth.
