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

Embraer is progressing in its E-Jet freighter conversion program that was <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2022-03-07/embraer-launches-e-jet-passenger-freighter-conversions">launched last year</a>, the Brazilian airframer noted during a recent media day presentation in New York. Intended to breathe new life into aging E190 and E195 regional jets as they come off lease, as well as provide the OEM with a niche entry into the growing passenger-to-freighter market, the manufacturer expects the conversions to add more than a decade of additional use.
The program recently reached a milestone, with the fitting of a cargo door to an E190 for the first time. Arjan Meijer, president and CEO of Embraer’s commercial aircraft division, stated that the program will start with the E190: “We believe that’s the biggest feedstock that is out there in the market; there were many more 190s built than 195s.”
While the E195 conversions will follow, Meijer stated that there is still a lot of demand in the market for the larger 100- to 124-seat E195 narrowbody, with operators currently preferring to hold on to them longer.
Meijer sees the E-Freighters—with a cargo capacity of up to 20 tons—filling the gap between turboprops and large standard-bodied aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. “Based on the customer interaction that we have, we really believe that this is going to be an interesting gap and we’re looking forward to announcing customers there soon as well,” he said. “We’re now looking to our first flight and certification in 2024.”

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.

Embraer Sees Progress on E-Freighter Project

The program expects to add more than a decade of use to aging E-Jets

Intended to breathe new life into aging E-190 and E-195 regional jets as they come off lease, Embraer is progressing with its E-Jet freighter conversion program.

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