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

Following nearly two years of discussions involving spirited public input from the community and elected officials, the Pitkin County Board of Commissioners last week unanimously approved a new 30-year lease renewal for Atlantic Aviation to operate the lone FBO at Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (KASE) in Colorado. Notably,&nbsp;the agreement contains requirements to offer sustainable aviation fuel.
In April 2023, Atlantic’s proposal was <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2023-04-17/atlantic-aviation-wins-rfp-aspen-pitkin-county-airport">selected</a> as the winner of the airport’s RFP process, beating out <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2023-03-22/competition-narrows-next-fbo-operator-aspen-airport">six</a> other competitors.&nbsp;Yet the process of actually approving the lease had dragged on as officials and members of the public proffered alternatives, including the airport’s self-management of the facility.
The terms of the lease call for a minimum annual guarantee of $14 million in rent based on revenue calculations, escalating to as much as $23 million a year by the end of the lease. In addition, Atlantic is slated to make more than $100 million in investments in environmental and operational improvements, bringing its commitment at KASE to more than a billion dollars over the span of the lease.
“This was an important step in the process,” said Atlantic executive v-p Clive Lowe. “We appreciate the collaborative work the board of county commissioners in Aspen has engaged in with us and, as we move forward in the approval process, we look forward to&nbsp;the&nbsp;next meeting which is upcoming later this month.”

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