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

Prestwick, Scotland is widely recognized as the birthplace of golf. The town on the southwest coast of the country is home to several world-class courses, one of which—Royal Troon—will once again play host to one of the sport’s marquee events, the British Open Championship this month.
For Prestwick Aviation Services, the airport-operated FBO at Glasgow Prestwick Airport (EGPK), this will mean a surge in private aviation traffic as the tournament’s host airport. “Golf is a very important driver for business at Prestwick,” said Kris Baillie, the airport’s business development manager for general aviation and military. “We see a lot of business aviation year-round.”
He estimates that private aviation accounts for approximately 30% of the FBO’s traffic, with military aviation filling out the remainder. It was military aviation that put Prestwick on the map, so to speak. During WWII, a U.S. B-25 bomber that was scheduled to land in Ireland was diverted to Prestwick due to weather. This kept happening, and eventually, the U.S. Army Air Corps recognized the pattern and set up its Trans-Atlantic Ferry Command on the field.
“Prestwick has a reputation of being the only fog-free airport in the UK,” Baillie told AIN. “That’s why customers like coming [here] because they know there’s a good chance they won’t be stricken by weather.” That trend holds to this day as European airframers Pilatus and Daher favor the airport as a tech stop for North American delivery flights for their respective PC-12 and TBM series turboprop singles.
The FBO has a staff of 27 and is open 24/7. “If a customer calls in the middle of the night, they will get an answer straight away, which is something we feel is critical to helping [them] when they want to fly into Prestwick, and also makes us a good option for diversion,” explained Baillie.
The airport has operated the FBO since 2014, when the leases of the two existing service providers expired. While the airport was already servicing its commercial carriers and their half-million passengers each year, it decided at that time to bring management of its private aviation infrastructure in-house as well.
The FBO operates from a 4,300-sq-ft two-story terminal, a pre-fabricated structure built in 2007, and also houses the airport’s fuel handling offices. It features passenger and crew lounges, shower facilities, and a refreshment bar. Located close to the ramp, customers have less than a minute's walk to their aircraft. There is a dedicated UK Border Force customs facility on the FBO ramp with 24/7 operations as well.
The airport is developing a brand-new terminal, which will double or even triple the size of the existing one. It will be located near the current terminal on the aptly-named apron Golf—one of eight ramps on the 880-acre field—which can handle the world’s largest aircraft, up to and including the late Antonov 225 Mriya. Initial plans call for its completion by the end of 2025.
Prestwick Aviation Services is one of two fuel providers on the field, with its own pair of 11,600-gallon jet-A tankers and a 3,200-gallon avgas truck. They draw from the airport’s fuel farm, which holds 740,000 gallons of jet-A and 10,600 gallons of avgas. The FBO pumps more than 10 million gallons of jet fuel a year on average, and while Baillie noted recent declines in avgas demand, the facility saw a recent spike when it received a quintet of thirsty WWII-vintage Douglas C-47s from the U.S., bound for the 80th anniversary of D-Day ceremonies.
With its position on the Great Circle route, the airport makes a perfect tech stop for aircraft transiting between North America and the Middle East. “When you look at the figures, customers can save on fuel burn; they can save on time in the air as well,” noted Baillie, adding that quick turns are a specialty with a target of 25 minutes or less. “Business aviation customers want to get their fuel pumped as soon as possible, so having the fuel trucks based at the FBO. We’re not waiting for any service,” Baillie said. “When customers come into Prestwick, it’s a single point of contact, a one-stop-shop.”
In terms of available transient hangar space, the airport has none, but that is expected to change, according to Baillie. “We get inquiries from aircraft as far south as London that are parking for three or four days and are looking for hangarage,” he stated, adding that the airport is looking to install a pre-fabricated hangar capable of sheltering airliner-size aircraft by the end of the year to accommodate immediate needs. “At some point in the future, we’ll get a master plan to build several more hangars on the airfield.”

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

Prestwick Aviation Services Specializes in Transatlantic Quick Turns

Providing private aviation handling in golf's home town

Scotland's Glasgow Prestwick Airport will serve as the host gateway for the 152nd edition of the British Open Golf Championship later this month.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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.

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