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.
Airbus and Boeing are faced with satisfying a complex set of new requirements when it comes to winning orders from state-owned South African Airways (SAA), complying with offset conditions that are more typical for the defense industry than for commercial aviation. Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba has told SAA management to abandon its current plans to renew the airline’s long-haul fleet and to issue a new request for proposals (RFP) that includes assurances made by industry to place work in South Africa.
Indian regional start-up Air Costa has firmed up ambitious growth plans by signing an order for up to 100 Embraer E2 jets at the Singapore Air Show. The deal is made up of 25 firm orders each for the E190-E2 and the E195-E2. It includes the same number of options.
Low-cost VietJetAir is acquiring up to 100 Airbus A320s, placing a firm order for 63 aircraft along with 30 purchase rights and leases for a further seven. The deal, the first and only commitment Airbus announced on the opening day of the Singapore airshow, reflects a broader market trend in the region—massive growth of low-cost carriers, partly at the expense of legacy carriers and partly complementing the traditional carriers.
