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

Embraer’s executive jets division continues to ramp up its manufacturing tempo with a 36% year-over-year increase in aircraft production during the first half. The Brazilian airframer handed over 61 business jets in the first six months, 16 more than during the same span a year ago. For the year, the manufacturer is forecasting 145 to 155 business jet deliveries.
In the midsize business jet segment, it saw a 46% increase in deliveries, handing over 15 Praetor 600s and eleven 500s, compared to eight and six, respectively, in the first half of 2024, while production of its light Phenoms improved by four over the same span.
In the second quarter alone, Embraer delivered 38 business jets, with the 17 Praetors handed over more than doubling those in second-quarter 2024. This compares to 27 business jet deliveries in the same quarter&nbsp;last year.
“We are very excited about the 41% increase in Embraer Executive Jets deliveries to our valued customers in the second quarter, as a direct result of production leveling, smart asset utilization, and key investments we have made to expand our industrial capacity,” Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO Michael Amalfitano told AIN. “In this period, it is worth noting the significant increase in deliveries of the midsize Praetor 500 and super-midsize Praetor business jets.”

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In this article

Legacy 450/500 and Praetor 500/600

Embraer Executive Aircraft

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