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.
Swiss charter airline Odette Airways is looking to significantly expand its fleet, according to Swiss weekly Sonntagszeitung. The carrier is evaluating a fleet of up to 10 Fokker F100s and four to six MD-83s, the paper reported. Odette has confirmed it wants to acquire a second aircraft. It now operates a single MD-83. Swiss International Air Lines has sharply cut back its charter capacity. -JF
Lufthansa launched a six-times weekly Boeing Business Jet all-business-class service from Munich to Newark/New Jersey. The launch follows a similar venture from Düsseldorf to New York that Lufthansa said has proven to be successful. The airline will start flying from Düsseldorf to Chicago in June. Private Air, a Swiss executive jet specialist, operates the flights. Lufthansa uses Airbus A319LRs for the Düsseldorf flights. -JF
The CEOs of Swiss International Air Lines and Alitalia both predict they won't survive without merging with another carrier, illustrating the pressure relatively small European national carriers face in the weak worldwide economy. "It is certain that Swiss won't be able to survive if we aren't part of a merger," Swiss chief André Dosé told Schweizer Touristik. "If the airlines want to work profitably, the solution inevitably leads to mergers, to use the synergies."
