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.
Lease rates are falling, aircraft cancellations are mounting, and airlines are considering further capacity cuts. The prospects for Airbus and Boeing to end the year without white tails—aircraft coming off the production line with no customer —look increasingly bleak. In January, Airbus and Boeing saw cancellations outpace orders.
European airlines are facing unexpectedly high regulatory hurdles in their efforts to consolidate, as the European Commission (EC) seeks to push through major concessions to keep competition intact.
Virgin Atlantic plans to cut 600 jobs across its network to reduce costs in the ongoing industry crisis. “No airline is immune from the recession and we continue to reshape our business to ensure we’re in the best position for the longer term,” said CEO Steve Ridgway. Last month, Virgin Atlantic announced a pay freeze across the company.
