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

Global business aviation activity last month climbed by 29% versus the same period in pre-pandemic 2019, according to Jefferies Equity Research.&nbsp;The aircraft management segment saw the largest increase in activity, up 38% from 2019, followed by private flight departments, which saw a 36% boost.
Citing WingX data, the investment firm noted that fractional and charter segment use rose by 31% since July 2019. <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2022-04-08/responding-demand-flexjet-adding-pilots-aircraft">Flexjet</a> and <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2023-12-28/flyexclusive-goes-public-following-spac-merger">flyExclusive</a>&nbsp;in particular have gained substantial market share, with their activity increasing by 158% and 154%, respectively, compared with July 2019. NetJets usage rose by 44% in that span, while Wheels Up recorded a 20% decline.
Though the Asia-Pacific region accounted for just 5% of global business aviation departures over the past year, it experienced an 83% rise from 2019 levels. North America, which claims the lion’s share of global activity, saw the next highest percentage increase—a 29% surge from the pre-Covid period.
Among the OEMs, Embraer aircraft registered the largest increase, with departures of its Phenom, Legacy, and Praetor twinjets up more than 50% since 2019, followed by Gulfstream (27%), Textron Aviation (26%), and Bombardier (25%). Jefferies analysts noted that overall flight hours have increased by 33% over 2019 totals, with the average flight time up by 3% to a per-flight average of 1.6 hours.

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.

Global Business Aviation Maintains Increased Usage over Pre-pandemic Period

Managed aircraft saw the largest increase

Global business aviation activity in July increased by 29% compared to the same period in pre-pandemic 2019, according to Jefferies.


Post-pandemic Global Business Aviation Usage Surges

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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IAM expressed strong opposition to a ban on the sale of Bombardier products

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News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

ATR 72 aircraft performs pre-modification flight in Toulouse

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Only the piston aircraft segment posted a decline

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Hanneke Weitering

Two captains held the prototype 33 feet above the water for 30 seconds

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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.

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