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

As of today, international business flights arriving&nbsp;at New York’s Westchester County Airport (KHPN) have their choice of FBOs at which to clear U.S. Customs. Previously, all flights were required to first stop and clear at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office in Signature Aviation’s west terminal, but with the start of a pilot program, aircraft can now be met by U.S. Customs officers on the ramp of their preferred FBO and be processed onboard with&nbsp;mobile technology.
According to the CBP, KHPN sees approximately 300 international arrivals a month. “There was a long-standing relationship between Signature West and Customs,” said Million Air KHPN general manager Lauren Rones-Payne. “The Customs office was built there, and it really then locked in the international traveler to clear U.S. Customs on their ramp, and after over 20 years there is now a new program that allows travelers to choose the FBO of their choice.”
Customers can&nbsp;specify an arrival at Signature East or West, Million Air, or Atlantic Aviation East. The only exception&nbsp;is Atlantic’s facility on the west side of the field, which still maintains the artificial weight restriction imposed on it decades ago.
Rones-Payne noted that arriving aircraft must request an arrival slot between 7:30 a.m. and 11:15 p.m. from Customs and file all required paperwork with the agency ahead of arrival. While the airport maintains a voluntary curfew between midnight&nbsp;and 6:30 a.m. for operators, Million Air participates in CBP's reimbursable services program, which allows incoming aircraft to clear customs outside of normal operating hours. The location is also modifying one of its ground-floor conference rooms to accommodate customs use if additional screening is required.
Aboard the first aircraft to clear customs at the Million Air facility this morning&nbsp;were the company's CEO, Roger Woolsey;&nbsp;its COO, Chuck Suma;&nbsp;and their spouses. "Now that an aircraft can land at Westchester and&nbsp;have Customs meet them at the stairs of the [business] aircraft just like they do in many other cities, it will make these companies more efficient, much faster," Woolsey told&nbsp;AIN.&nbsp;He&nbsp;added that the company went to great lengths to make its KHPN facility—which opened in 2019—a welcoming center for the area and the Northeast region in general. He believes having Customs service available on the ramp will only improve that perception. "It's a real game-changer," he concluded.

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.

KHPN Arrivals Can Now Choose FBO for Customs Clearance

A pilot program launched today allows arriving international bizav flights into Westchester County Airport to select which FBO ramp they wish to use.

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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.

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