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.

Senior Editor

Curt Epstein

A recent report from investment analyst Jefferies shows that not all sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are the same in terms of its environmental benefits, which can vary significantly depending on which of 11 approved pathways is used to produce them.
Jefferies based its findings on a discussion it hosted with International Air Transport Association (IATA) SAF specialist Daniel Bloch on policy approaches for increasing SAF production and availability. With a wide variety of feedstocks available, some production pathways—and the feedstocks they use—offer significantly better CO2 reduction in their lifecycles, Bloch noted.
For example, using new vegetable oil (as opposed to used cooking oil) as a feedstock for the HEFA process provides only up to a 20 percent savings in carbon emissions compared to Fischer-Tropsch-derived SAF from CO2 and hydrogen using renewable energy, which could bring that number to near 100 percent savings.
Most existing SAF production refineries are using the HEFA process. The report pointed out that while new projects using alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) and Fischer-Tropsch pathways have higher initial capital costs, their operational costs are lower. As a result, production facilities based on those technologies will take longer to achieve scale production. However, according to IATA, these are key to generating increasing volumes of SAF because their third-generation feedstocks are less constrained.
SAF will play a large role in IATA’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 and is predicted to provide 65 percent of the overall emission reduction equation. The organization notes that the supply of the fuel will be heavily region-specific, and it is currently not scaled sufficiently to be cost-competitive with conventional jet-A. Bloch sees 2025 as a potential turning point in SAF production, with European policy measures such as the <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2023-06-05/uk-proposes-sustainable-aviation-fuel-mandate-2025">UK SAF blending mandate</a> and <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2023-06-19/eu-sets-worlds-largest-saf-blending-mandate">ReFuel EU</a> set to commence.

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

Jefferies: Some Sustainable Aviation Fuels Are Greener Than Others

Report shows the amount of lifecycle CO2 emissions savings can vary greatly

A report from Jefferies shows that not all sustainable aviation fuel is the same in terms of its environmental benefits, which can vary significantly.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

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

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.

Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney are committed to new R&D efforts in the Netherlands

RTX Launches Sustainability Alliance With Dutch Aerospace Sector

Total funding for the third phase of work could top €950 million

EU's Clean Aviation Set to Invite Proposals for Decarbonization R&D Work

New developments at FBOs including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

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

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.

Naples Aviation is the first of many to begin offering SAF in the coming months

Florida FBO Becomes First on East Coast To Offer SAF

The large-scale plant is expected to come online in 2026

Pakistan's First SAF Plant Gets Funding Boost

The multi-billion-dollar facility is expected to be running by 2029

New Major SAF Plant Planned for Texas

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.

The move could bolster the Kingdom's circular economy and sustainability

TotalEnergies, Aramco Sign SAF Development Agreement

Kerry Lynch

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.

Environmental regulatory schemes are growing exponentially worldwide

4Air Compliance Services Expand with 21 More Enviro Regs

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

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