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

International aviation services provider ExecuJet has expanded its reach in the Australasia region with the purchase of Air Center One, a long-standing FBO at New Zealand’s Auckland International Airport (NZAA). The Luxaviation Group subsidiary, a member of the Paragon Aviation Network, now has 24 FBOs, including three others in the area—at Wellington International Airport, which it manages in partnership with Capital Jet Services, and in Australia at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport and Essendon Fields Airport in Melbourne.

 


NZAA is the country’s busiest airport with more than 2,000 business aviation flights a year. International flights represent more than half of the operations, with destinations such as Australia, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the U.S.

 


In operation for more than 35 years, the Air Center One facility offers a 1,750 sq ft (167 sq m) terminal with customs and immigration processing services, a dedicated guest lounge with views of the ramp, conference rooms, crew lounge, showers, and concierge. Third-party hangar space available for itinerant business aircraft. Founder Robin Leach will remain with the facility to ensure a smooth transition.

 


“We are excited to be expanding our global FBO network through this acquisition and offering our services at another major destination in the region,” said Luxaviation CEO Patrick Hansen. “Air Center One has been for a long time our preferred handling agent in Auckland, which is a major destination for New Zealand and complements our partnership at the Wellington FBO.”

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

ExecuJet Expands Asia-Pacific Footprint

ExecuJet has expanded its reach in the Australasia region with the purchase of Air Center One, an FBO at New Zealand’s Auckland International Airport.

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