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.
Virgin Atlantic Airways plans to carry 10% more passengers in its business-class cabin next year, one goal of a three-year strategy aimed at boosting profit margins. The airline said this week that it hopes to reach the goal by focusing on high-demand business routes, such as London-New York and London-Dubai, and on additional product upgrades. The airline's Heathrow clubhouse now features a jacuzzi and spa treatments, among other things.
Lufthansa Technik, Europe's biggest maintenance, repair and overhaul provider, saw operating profits rise 26% to EUR258 million (US$311 million) last year, as the company's third-party business continued to grow. Sales were up 2% at EUR3.12 billion (US$3.8 billion). CFO Peter Jansen said that the unit's internal business actually declined, with Lufthansa Cargo having phased out maintenance-prone Boeing 747-200s. Fifty-eight percent of sales are now with outside customers.
The Airbus A380 on Sunday passed a crucial evacuation test, one of the major hurdles ahead of the expected certification this year. All 873 people on board MSN 007 managed to evacuate the aircraft within 80 seconds, 10 seconds faster than required by authorities. The test was completed with relatively few injuries: One person suffered a broken leg, while 32 others reported friction burns from sliding down the emergency slides.
