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.
Air France has launched initial studies into how to retrofit its Airbus A380 with its newly unveiled business-class cabin, but the effort is unlikely to be launched this year. The airline decided to introduce the product on its largest aircraft after having initially put it on the 777 fleet, but the timing is unsettled and the latest seats may never be installed on other aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A340, which are to be retired in the medium term.
Lufthansa Monday demanded that the European Commission intervene in Etihad Airway’s plans to pick up a large minority stake in Alitalia, citing the need to prevent indirect subsidies flowing into European airlines. “We are against recurring subsidies and partial renationalization of European airlines, no matter whether it comes from European or non-EU states or state-owned entities,” a Lufthansa official said.
At a turning point in the development of Airbus, its leaders determined that the organization had become more than a loose consortium known as “groupement d'interet economique” (GIE), and Airbus was transformed into a proper company (“societe anonyme,” or S.A.) in the immediate aftermath of the formal A380 launch decision in 2001.
