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

With preparations underway for its third Annual FBO Awards Gala, AIN proudly welcomes the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) as the official sponsor and facilitator of the FBO Sustainability Award.
The award recognizes the company or organization that best incorporates environmentally conscious practices into its daily operations.
“I think there’s been a big investment and interest in sustainability measures to continue to mitigate environmental impacts from our industry’s operations,” said NATA president and CEO Curt Castagna. “It enhances the visibility of FBOs and our aviation businesses as partners to airports, to their customers, and to local communities by really recognizing the measurable ways that FBOs are addressing sustainability today.”
In a change from the two previous years, next year’s award will be split into two categories, one for FBO chains and the other encompassing single locations. To be nominated, an online registration explaining why the company should be considered will need to be <a href="https://connect.ainonline.com/sustainability-award-nomination">filed</a> with a nominal entry fee. NATA has established a pool of $5,000 to cover the nomination costs, available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Once those entries are received, they will then be evaluated by NATA, which has its own environmental committee that has established the association’s industry sustainability standards.
“We’re going to involve our committees [and] our broader leadership in helping with the selection process, because it’s very important to get their perspective,” explained Shannon Chambers, the organization’s senior v-p of communications and association affairs. She added that it looks to leverage all sectors of its membership, including its charter, advanced airborne mobility, and maintenance committees, as well as its environmental and airport business committees.&nbsp;“It really adds a lot more meaning behind it as well, when they’re involved, and it’s those that are maybe using the locations or just recognizing their peers in this situation.”&nbsp;She noted that any nominees will abstain from the vote for the award category in which they are nominated.
“When people talk about business aviation and sustainability, the immediate focus is on sustainable alternative jet fuel, typically, but I think it really goes beyond that,” Castagna told AIN. “It goes into electrified equipment, it goes into [plastic] coffee stirrers, it could go all the way down through the organization of what they’re doing to be more sustainable, so I think recognizing those other elements of what sustainability really means is important.”
“We are proud to partner with NATA on the Sustainability Award as part of our 2027 FBO Awards Gala,” said Nancy O’Brien, AIN’s senior director of industry affairs and events. “NATA’s leadership in advancing environmental responsibility across aviation—through its dedicated committee, subject matter expertise, and ongoing commitment to cleaner operations—makes it uniquely qualified to evaluate these nominations. Together, we look forward to recognizing FBOs that truly set the standard for sustainable practices, innovative equipment, and a culture of environmental stewardship.”
The nomination window will close on November 6, and the winners will be named at the February 24&nbsp;event, following the conclusion of NBAA’s Schedulers &amp; Dispatchers Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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

NATA To Partner on FBO Sustainability Awards at AIN Gala

Awards will honor both chains and single locations

NATA will partner with AIN on the FBO Sustainability Awards to be presented at next year’s FBO Awards Dinner and Gala in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

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

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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.

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