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

Neste, the world’s largest sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer, has started production of the renewable fuel at its European facility in Rotterdam. The plant was undergoing modifications to produce SAF when it suffered a fire, throwing delays into the timeline.
Now complete, the enhancements allow Neste to produce up to 165 million gallons (625 million liters) of SAF a year at the Netherlands location. This brings its global SAF production capacity to nearly 500 million gallons a year.
Further planned expansions of the Rotterdam facility are slated for completion in 2027. These will more than double its output of renewable diesel and SAF to 900 million gallons a year, making it the world’s largest renewable fuels refinery. By that time, Finland-based Neste—which also operates refineries in Singapore and Porvoo, Finland—anticipates its global production to be in the range of 2.25 billion gallons annually, of which 726 million will consist of SAF.
“It is clear that we need to continue making progress in mitigating climate change and addressing aviation’s climate impact,” said company president and CEO Heikki Malinen. “Our SAF production capability, now also in Rotterdam, enables us to significantly contribute to the implementation of the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation and similar SAF mandates. Policies like these are crucial to ramping up SAF production and usage, and we need to keep our ambitions and targets high.”

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

Neste Starts SAF Production at Rotterdam Facility

The site will produce up to 165 million gallons of SAF a year

Neste, the world’s largest sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer, has started production of the renewable fuel at its European facility in Rotterdam.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Sarah Rose

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Company exceeds 1.6 million tons of CO2 offset

Sentient Jet Updates Annual Sustainability Progress

News and developments about aviation fuel, including jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and biofuel.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Study predicts a nearly sevenfold growth 

U.S. SAF Market To Hit $7 Billion by 2030

The online feature helps streamline the SAF usage process

World Fuel Rolls Out SAF Book-and-claim Tool

Charles Alcock

News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

Europe-based group says new feature is first of its kind in business aviation 

Luxaviation Adds Real-time Carbon Calculator to App

New developments at FBOs including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

California FBO received the new truck last week

Avfuel Delivers First Fully Electric Jet Refueler

Kerry Lynch

AvfuelZero Portal houses all necessary documentation for SAF and carbon emissions reporting

Avfuel Launches Portal To Streamline SAF Documentation

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

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.

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.

Airbus and 10 European partners have launched the PACIFIC program 

Study Targets Clarity for Mitigating Contrail Impact

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.

News, issues, personnel, equipment and developments about air traffic management.

In this article

More In Environment