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

The Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) is moving ahead with its efforts to acquire Bridgeport Sikorsky Memorial Airport (KBDR) as it looks to restore commercial airline service to the southeastern part of the state. Established in 2011, the CAA currently operates Bradley International Airport—the state’s lone commercial gateway—and five general aviation airports: Danielson, Groton-New London, Hartford-Brainard, Waterbury-Oxford, and Windham.

 


KBDR, which is currently owned by the city of Bridgeport and home to two FBOs, has seen no airline service over the past two decades and its passenger terminal has since been demolished.

 


Following a recent $7 million investment by the State Bond Commission that will primarily cover the pavement rehabilitation on 4,759-foot Runway 11/29, Bridgeport and the CAA announced ongoing discussions&nbsp;in November regarding an expanded partnership to develop and run the airport, which currently operates at an annual budget deficit. The airport has been trying to lure commercial operators back over the past several years, but it would take additional millions in infrastructure, including a new airline terminal, to make KBDR enticing once again.

 


While the CAA would apply its airport management experience and could, in theory, provide the necessary&nbsp;level of infrastructure funding, the matter is still being debated by Bridgeport officials. The CAA has reportedly offered $10 million for KBDR.

Connecticut Authority Looks To Acquire Sikorsky Airport

The Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) is moving ahead with its attempt to acquire Bridgeport Sikorsky Memorial Airport.

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