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.
The Croatian government in the coming weeks plans to formally launch the privatization process of loss-making national carrier Croatian Airlines The case is one of many in Southeastern Europe and reflects the difficult economic state of the region’s airlines. Etihad Airways only weeks ago agreed to buy 49% of JAT Airways in a deal that also renamed the operator Air Serbia, and Aria Airways is in the process of being sold by the Slovenian government, although unlike in the Croatia and Serbia cases, no obvious buyer has emerged.
Lufthansa plans to equip 20 Airbus A321s with the BoardConnect wireless system developed by its affiliate Lufthansa Systems that will be deployed on medium-haul routes to Central Asia, North Africa or the Middle East.
Installation of JetBlue Airways’ long-awaited Wi-Fi service is set to begin in the coming weeks following the FAA’s approval of the system for Airbus A320s. The airline has selected Aviation Technical Services (ATS) to retrofit up to 130 Airbus A320s with the Internet system, which JetBlue calls Fly-Fi. The first aircraft is set to be modified in November or “possibly sooner,” ATS CEO Matt Yerbic tells Aviation Week. JetBlue says the fleet will be completed by 2015, with some work being handled by its LiveTV subsidiary in Orlando, Fla.
