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 is studying how to increase production of its single-aisle aircraft to up to 50 per month. The move is based on the manufacturer's updated global market forecast, which sees even higher demand for all categories of aircraft than predicted a year ago. John Leahy, chief operating officer for customers, believes the European manufacturer will soon decide to raise monthly output to 44 from the currently planned 42. He said in an interview that the 60 units Boeing is looking at as part of its longer-term plans were “ridiculous.”
Europe's maintenance, repair and overhaul sector is facing tough market conditions and long-standing structural disadvantages over competitors with lower costs, but that does not seem to stimulate any fundamental change to the shape and size of the industry.
Air Baltic stresses it will continue operations even though a Latvian court rejected its plan for protection from creditors on Friday. The airline accuses the Latvian government of pursuing secret plans to set up a competing carrier while trying to seal the fate of Air Baltic. The developments are the latest turn in a power struggle that has stretched over several months. The fight involves Air Baltic’s two major shareholders, the government (52%) and Baltic Aviation Systems (BAS), which is in turn partly owned by the airline’s CEO, Berthold Flick.
