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.
All Nippon Airways CEO Yoji Ohashi, though less optimistic about leisure travel to China, expects business traffic to China to recover in two to three months and says ANA wants to keep expanding international expansion with a particular focus on China and Asia despite the recent travel slump.
In spite of the difficult operating environment, Spanish national carrier Iberia managed to post a EUR52.6 million net profit (US$59.7 million) for the second quarter, down 30.1% from the previous year.
British Airways posted a GBP63 million (US$101 million) net loss in the its fiscal first quarter, reflecting weakness in business travel, the SARS pneumonia outbreak and the effects of the Iraq war. Europe's biggest airline managed, however, to achieve an operating profit of GBP40 million (US$64 million) despite the difficult market environment. A recent strike of London Heathrow-based check-in staff cost the airline GBP30 million-40 million, according to initial company estimates (DAILY, July 29).
