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.
Hungarian state-owned carrier Malev and CSA Czech Airlines last week announced a bilateral alliance that Malev hopes will lead to membership in the SkyTeam alliance. The two national airline companies signed a letter of intent aimed at making their commercial cooperation tighter and more effective. CSA, a SkyTeam founding member, will also sponsor Malev's earliest possible membership in SkyTeam, Malev said, but it disclosed no further details.
The highly diversified Lufthansa group's business strategy is again under intense scrutiny following the announcement of massive losses accumulated by its non-core businesses. The German carrier, Europe's third-largest player behind Air France and British Airways, last week posted 980-million euros ($1.22-billion) losses, including an unexpected 700-million-euro write-off covering LSG Sky Chefs. Moreover, the airline's operating profit plunged 96% to a weak 30 million euros.
Germania Express (Gexx), one of Germany's new low-fare carriers, is pulling out of five routes and will start flying on behalf of rival Air Berlin, beginning at the end of March. Gexx will discontinue services on the routes from Hamburg, Duesseldorf and Berlin to Vienna and Zurich, as well as Munich to Vienna. Germania Express will instead wet-lease three Fokker 100s to Air Berlin, and the aircraft will also be painted in Air Berlin colors. Air Berlin Chairman Joachim Hunold said the cooperation could expand soon. -JF
