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.
With the merger between LAN Airlines and TAM Grupo now in the final stages of approval, Latin American commercial aviation is entering the next stage in its rapid development. The deal has already had a deep impact on competitors in the region and it will shift the balance of power between the global alliances in one of the world's major growth markets.
Jens Flottau (Quito, Ecuador; and Bogota, Colombia)
Air traffic is growing fast in most of Latin America, but vastly differing economic policies, ranging from strict state control to open markets, are still a major hurdle for air transport in parts of the region.
In many cases, Latin American airlines may be fierce competitors, but most of them have one thing in common—bad infrastructure. And there is no short-term relief in sight. Airports are quickly becoming a nagging bottleneck as the region's airlines continue their fast-paced growth. The capacity shortfall is seen in almost all major markets, even where facilities are partially privatized. Even though renovation projects are under way in some locations, their completion may be too late to satisfy airline customers.
