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.
Central and Eastern Europe's legacy carriers are facing deeply rooted uncertainty and questions over their strategic positioning two years after their home markets were opened up and as low-fare carriers are making inroads. The region's three biggest carriers--LOT Polish Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines and Malev Hungarian Airlines--plus Austrian Airlines as an airline with huge exposure in the area, share the same difficulties: The customer base is eroded by new entrants, yields are falling and cost-cutting remains a challenge in legacy structures.
Finnair expects traffic on its Asian routes to grow 30% this year and in 2007. "The economic growth of Asian countries is among the best in the world, and we intend to exploit boldly the new opportunities that are continuously opening up," Jukka Hienonen said in a statement this week. He added that Finnair is looking at new destinations in the region. The airline in October will inaugurate flights to India, where it sees "huge demand." Finnair next year will add two Airbus A340s to its long-haul fleet. -JF
