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

AIN Media Group&nbsp;honored the business aviation services sector during its&nbsp;second annual FBO Awards Gala on March 27, capping off NBAA’s Schedulers &amp; Dispatchers Conference that attracted record crowds to Cleveland. Despite the stormy weather and torrential rains, more than 250 aviation service professionals gathered at the city’s landmark Agora Theater to celebrate the best of the global FBO industry.
Following a welcome address by AIN president Ruben Kempeneer, master of ceremonies and bestselling author Andrew Davis led the audience through this year’s most highly reviewed FBOs from around the world, as rated by AIN’s readers in the magazine’s annual FBO Survey. Survey results were printed in the April edition of the magazine as well as <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2026-03-26/2026-ain-fbo-survey">online</a>.
Following the recognition of the top 20%, 10%, and 5% of FBOs from the Americas and the Rest of World, the individual top-scoring FBOs from both groupings were recognized in the following categories: Passenger Amenities, Pilot Amenities, Facilities, Line Service, and Customer Service. In all, nearly 70 FBOs were recognized through these awards.
Celebrating the two FBOs that showed the highest increases in their year-over-year scores in the survey, the Commitment to Progress Awards for both groups were presented to Modern Aviation’s facility at Sacramento Mather Airport (KMHR) in California, and Universal Aviation/CJet, the lone service provider at China’s Beijing Capital International Airport (ZBAA).
This year’s award for Best FBO-Sustainability was presented to Signature Aviation Vail Valley (KEGE) by Curt Castagna, president and CEO of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA). The facility was the first in the world to achieve Tier III under NATA’s Sustainability Standard for Aviation Business. It has converted more than half of its ground service equipment to electric and offers continuous supplies of sustainable aviation fuel.
During the event, more than 70 FBO staff members—many of whom were present in the audience—were recognized for their dedication to “Above and Beyond” customer service, as identified by the survey’s participants.
Honoring individuals whose dedication, leadership, and contributions have significantly shaped the FBO industry, this year’s Lifetime FBO Achievement Award was presented to the late Jerry Holland, Sheltair founder, chairman, and CEO who grew his company from one set of hangars into an aviation real estate empire totaling roughly 5 million sq ft of airport infrastructure, spread across 16 locations in four states. It was accepted in his name by his daughter, current Sheltair president and CEO Lisa Holland.
Capping off the evening, the top FBO in the Americas was presented to Detroit-area Pentastar Aviation for a sixth consecutive year, while in the rest of the world, TAG Aviation Macau, in its first year of survey eligibility, took the top slot, unseating the 19-year incumbent.
<a href="https://www.ainonline.com/gallery/ains-fbo-dinner-awards-gala-2026">View more images from the event.</a>

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AIN held its second Annual FBO Awards Gala before a sold-out audience at the end of the NBAA’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference in Cleveland.

AIN’s 2nd Annual FBO Awards Honor Industry Excellence

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