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.
Czech Airlines will discontinue its daily Prague-New York service in the coming winter season, the airline said last week, citing the tough market conditions. CSA will also reduce the size of its fleet by 10%. Two Airbus A310s will be pulled from scheduled routes and used only for charters. “Airlines, in their 2009 size, are competing on a market that is the size it was in 2005. That is why we have to continue to optimize Czech Airlines and adapt it to the reality and the market conditions,” President Radomír Lašák said.
Lufthansa’s planned acquisition of Austrian Airlines appeared to be on the verge of collapse on Friday, after the European Commission voiced frustration over the proposed concessions. A spokesman for Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said that Lufthansa had taken “one step ahead and two steps back” in recent negotiations and that a miracle was needed to complete an in-depth investigation into the case before the end of July.
It is increasingly a race against time for several of central Europe’s mid-sized carriers as they try to restructure before falling victim to the sharp economic downturn that has hit their region particularly severely. From Poland to Austria, airlines are leaving no stone unturned, but most in the region are suffering double-digit drops in passenger numbers compared with 2008 levels. And effecting a turnaround isn’t easy.
