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.
European governments have been notorious for their open or hidden subsidies to support national carriers. But tighter controls imposed by the European Commission, coupled with the effects of the sovereign debt crisis, are taking their toll on the weakest airlines—as witnessed by the recent demise of Spanair and the de facto collapse of Malev.
The demise of struggling carriers can take years—as the history of many of the failed airlines has shown—and all too often their executives are very creative in finding yet another investor who is courageous enough (or is ill-informed about the industry) to extend an ailing enterprise a lifeline. Bankruptcies are therefore rare and spectacular.
BMI has reached an agreement in principle with an unidentified U.K.-based investor over the sale of low-fare division, bmibaby. The airline says that it expects the deal, which is not exclusive yet, to close in the first quarter.
