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’ liquidity reserves dropped by almost half in the first three months of the year, showing how urgently the airline needs to be taken over by its current alliance partner Lufthansa.
Passenger numbers at Air Berlin dropped by 3.4% in April, the airline said yesterday. Its load factor was down by 2.4 points to 76.4% as the company reduced capacity by 0.4%. Air Berlin said that unit revenue was up 13%. Separately, the airline announced the appointment of Michael Schwarz as corporate director of ground operations. Schwarz joins the airline from Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport where he was responsible for terminal projects in his last role.
Germany’s pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) elected a new hardline leadership yesterday. Two-thirds of VC’s members voted for a team led by Lufthansa Captain Winfried Streicher that promises to take a tough attitude toward employers. It was elected over a more moderate candidate team led by another Lufthansa captain, Hans Thumm.
