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.
Germany’s air traffic controllers plan to go on strike as soon as this week. The controllers’ union said on Friday it does not see any other option in pushing air traffic control provider DFS to accept its demands. The dispute between controllers and DFS is not over pay, but centers on work conditions. Controllers argue in favor of working fewer daily hours in control centers that cover a particularly busy traffic area. DFS says traffic has actually declined in the areas affected.
Lufthansa plans to fly an Airbus A380 to Johannesburg, South Africa, on the aircraft's first long-haul commercial service. The airline will operate the flight on June 5 as a special charter to bring Germany's national soccer team to the World Cup in South Africa. The aircraft will be flown by Lufthansa's head of flight operations, Juergen Raps. The airline will take delivery of its first A380 on May 19. Airbus on April 7 sent one of its test aircraft to Frankfurt for ground-handling checks.
