A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.

Business Aviation Services Editor

Curt Epstein

SkyKraft, the joint venture between sustainable aviation fuel producer SkyNRG and Swedish power company Skellefteå Kraft, has received a €21 million grant from the Swedish Energy Agency’s Industriklivet Initiative to support the development of the planned sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility in the port city of Skellefteå.
Industriklivet co-finances industrial projects that reduce fossil emissions, and this award will support the next phase of Project SkyKraft’s feasibility work, including the design and engineering activities needed to prepare for final investment decision (FID) in 2027. Once operational, the facility will produce up to 130,000 tonnes of eSAF a year using renewable electricity and environmental CO2.
SkyKraft is SkyNRG’s third facility, which joins Project Wigeon in the U.S.—a renewable natural gas to SAF project—and DSL-01, a large-scale SAF plant in the Netherlands that reached FID earlier this year.&nbsp;&nbsp;
With jet fuel prices continuing to soar amid a global fuel crisis, and many airlines lagging behind their targets for implementing eSAF, the grant comes at an important moment for the renewable fuels sector in Europe.
“The geopolitical situation and what is currently happening in the global fuel markets show how important it is to get away from dependence on fossil imports,” said Caroline Asserup, director general at the Swedish Energy Agency. “This investment provides synergies as we can both reduce emissions and,…build up domestic production of aviation fuel.”

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

Swedish SAF Project Receives Major Funding Boost

The €21 million award will support design and engineering work

A proposed sustainable aviation fuel plant in Sweden just took another step closer to reality with a major grant from the Scandinavian country’s energy agency.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Airlines are improving operational efficiency but not cutting total carbon

IBA Shows Carbon Intensity Dip but Emissions Still Rising

Charlotte Bailey

News and developments about aviation fuel, including jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and biofuel.

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

Chalmers University of Technology urges expanded focus on gasification 

EU Rules Risk Energy-intensive SAF Production Strategies 

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

Geopolitical upheaval to the global oil market highlights SAF need

Report: SAF Has Benefits Beyond Just Environmental

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

Fuel cell systems need at least 2 kW/kg power-to-weight ratio to be competitive

H2Fly Chases Hydrogen Propulsion Power Density Boost

Grant represents one of the largest in Europe to date

Germany Commits €350 Million to eSAF Project

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

Unither Bioélectronique expands envelope of experimental aircraft 

Modified R44 Flies Hydrogen-electric Helicopter Circuit

Environmental research program had already used three quarters of previously agreed funding

UK’s FAAM Research Aircraft Formally Ceases Operations 

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

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