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

SEA Prime has introduced what it believes is the first-of-its-kind program to incentivize business aviation customers to purchase sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).&nbsp;The company, which operates the general aviation infrastructure at Milan Malpensa and Linate airports under the Milano Prime brand, has allocated €50,000 this year to partially reimburse customers to uplift the higher-cost SAF-blend fuel. These refunds are calculated at a rate of about half of the cost of the SAF component in the blend.
“Our new SAF program, the first of its kind in Europe, represents tangible support for the industry’s path towards decarbonization,” said SEA Prime CEO Chiara Dorigotti. “ENI has confirmed availability of the SAF for our customers both at Linate and Malpensa—it’s already available.”
In preparation for an influx of private aviation traffic for the 2026 Cortina Winter Olympic Games, SEA Prime plans to expand the terminal at Linate by 2,000 sq m (21,500 sq ft). That would essentially double the size of the building, which is home to four ground-handling providers: AviaVIP, Sky Services, Signature Aviation, and Universal Aviation.
The €10 million project will include remodeling of the air- and landside facades of the outside of the building, and a reorganization of the interior layout to enhance passenger movement. Dedicated doors for staff will ensure privacy and efficiency of service.
Sustainability will be a key feature of the redesign, with solar panels on the roof for energy generation, energy-efficient heating and air conditioning, and rainwater harvesting systems.
“The key objective of the terminal expansion is to create a modern, sustainable terminal that meets clients’ demands while respecting its natural surroundings, embodying principles of environmental responsibility and innovation,” Dorigotti explained. “We think this is going to be a key event for our city and we want to be ready with the right infrastructure.”
Last year, the company’s locations saw nearly 34,000 business aviation movements, a 4% rise from 2022, and continues the post-pandemic rise in traffic. That growth trend has remained through the first quarter, with Milan outperforming all other locations in Italy—the fourth-largest business and general aviation market in Europe, according to EBAA—as well as the rest of Europe.

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SEA Prime which operates the general aviation infrastructure at Milan’s Malpensa and Linate airports under the Milano Prime brand, has introduced what is believed to be the first SAF support program to incentivize business aviation customers to purchase the fuel.

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