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.
Lufthansa and Air China yesterday officially extended the Beijing-based Ameco maintenance, repair and overhaul joint venture for 25 years. The two shareholders -- Ameco is 60% owned by Air China and 40% by Lufthansa -- took some months to reach an agreement over the extension, but on the sidelines of a Beijing ceremony tried to play down alleged difficulties. In order to invest further, Ameco will be recapitalized with another $100 million on top of the $87.53 million injected at the start in 1989.
Lufthansa's Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber wants to grow the airline mainly in cooperation with partner carriers, if talks with its unions on significant cost reductions fail. Mayrhuber told The DAILY on the sidelines of a Lufthansa/Air China event in Beijing that he refused to accept demands by German pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) that would guarantee growth within the group rather than outside. Lufthansa has been negotiating work rule and wage changes with its main unions for nearly a year, but has so far failed to reach a breakthrough.
The cargo airline jointly owned by Lufthansa Cargo and Shenzhen Airlines (DAILY, July 16) will initially operate two Airbus A300 freighters and fly on regional routes, sources revealed. The company, to be officially announced in October, will be 51% owned by Shenzhen Airlines, 25% by Lufthansa Cargo and 24% by DEG, a unit of federally owned Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW).
