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 delivered the first Praetor 600E to launch customer Flexjet, the aircraft manufacturer said today. The super-midsize jet was part of a <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2025-02-04/embraer-flexjet-partner-landmark-order-agreement">$7 billion order</a> placed by Flexjet last year—the largest in the operator’s history.
The Praetor 600E, which received a trio of <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2026-04-30/anac-easa-faa-certify-embraer-praetor-600e-upgrade">certifications</a> in April, offers a suite of passenger experience enhancements. These include newly designed seating, an advanced cabin management system, and the Embraer-exclusive Smart Window, a 42-inch OLED touchscreen that enables videoconferencing, high-resolution video streaming, and real-time views from three externally mounted cameras.
Timing of this handover comes as a surprise because the airframer said in February, when announcing the Praetor family <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2026-02-24/embraer-praetor-upgrades-enhance-pax-experience">upgrade</a>, that first deliveries would begin in early 2029.
“We are proud to deliver the inaugural Praetor 600E to Flexjet, a trusted strategic partner for more than 20 years and a company that shares Embraer’s commitment to efficiency, innovation, and exceptional customer experience,” said Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO Michael Amalfitano. “This milestone reflects the strength of our longstanding relationship, the winning combination of next-generation features onboard the Praetor 600E, and Flexjet’s continued confidence in Embraer’s ability to deliver industry-leading aircraft that meet the evolving needs of its bespoke customers.”
The smaller Praetor 500E—which received FAA, EASA, and ANAC certification in <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2026-06-30/embraer-praetor-500e-gets-nods-faa-easa-and-anac">June</a>—will make its debut with launch customer Flexjet by year-end, also years ahead of original plans.

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Ahead of Schedule, Embraer Delivers First Praetor 600E

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Flexjet accepted the first Embraer Praetor 600E, part of a massive order placed with the Brazilian airframer last year.

Embraer Delivers First Praetor 600E Ahead of Schedule 

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In this article

Embraer Praetor 600

Flexjet

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