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 Berlin continued to make losses in the second quarter, partly because of the effects of the airspace closure after the April volcanic eruption in Iceland. The airline posted a €56.9 million ($72 million) net loss in the seasonally strong quarter despite an €11 million extraordinary tax gain. Air Berlin said previously that the airspace closure had a €40 million effect on its bottom line.
Mergers and takeovers between airlines based on different continents will be unavoidable in the foreseeable future, Stefan Lauer, Lufthansa’s executive board member, human resources and group airlines, believes. Intercontinental mergers will happen for the same reasons as consolidation within countries or regions. But as consolidation gains momentum, airlines and alliances are dependent on fewer, but bigger partners that they can hardly afford to lose, he argues.
International passenger traffic was up 9.2% in July continuing a trend of strong recovery, according to figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Cargo traffic increased by 22.7% during the period. “It is clear that the recovery has entered a slower phase,” IATA points out, however.
