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.
South African Airways low-cost subsidiary Mango is to start flight operations on Nov. 15, the company said this week. SAA set up the new subsidiary to compete with rivals such as 1time and Nationwide more effectively. The national carrier's domestic market share has dropped to below 50% in recent years. Rivals criticized the move, saying the state-owned carrier could cross-subsidize its new affiliate and thus distort competition. Further details on Mango's network and expansion plans have not been released. -JF
Aer Lingus will significantly expand of its European network for the next summer timetable, the airline announced yesterday. The airline will add Milan, Athens and Newcastle service from Dublin, as well as Madrid, Prague and Manchester flights from Cork. Aer Lingus is also increasing frequencies on routes from Dublin to Budapest, Geneva, Berlin and Barcelona. Aer Lingus is trying to fend off a hostile takeover by Ryanair. The Irish low-fare airline argues that today it competes on only 17 of its 500 European routes. -JF
European low-fare airline SkyEurope has moved away from radical outsourcing, saying keeping some work in house is actually cheaper. "It's not very smart to just outsource everything," SkyEurope Chief Operating Officer Jason Bitter told delegates at MRO Europe in Amsterdam last week. The airline reverted to doing ground-handling in-house at major stations, along with line maintenance and maintenance planning. "We now have a more pragmatic, less philosophical approach."
