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.
ISTANBUL—Turkish Airlines plans to keep a significant presence at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökcen airport even after the city’s massive new airport opens in little over three years. The carrier is developing Sabiha Gökcen—situated on the Asian side of the city—into a stronger base to deal with capacity constraints at Atatürk International, Istanbul’s current main airport.
Key representatives of the ruling grand coalition in Germany are proposing to drop the country’s air transport tax. The deputy chairmen for the parliamentary groups of the two ruling parties wrote a joint letter to Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt saying the tax should be abolished.
Lufthansa’s planned new longhaul low-cost venture could clear a major hurdle within the next two months, as shareholders of leisure carrier Sun Express are getting closer to a decision on how to proceed with the project. The airline’s next board meeting could take place in mid-October; if Lufthansa wants to stick to its plan to launch the new affiliate by next year, it needs to make quick decisions.
