AIN Publications Appoints Matt Thurber Editor-in-chief

BJT parent company AIN Publications today announced the appointment of senior editor Matt Thurber as its new editor-in-chief, effective June 1. Thurber will be succeeding Charles Alcock, who is leaving the company in mid-June to take up a position in the UK. As editor-in-chief, Thurber will be responsible for the company’s complete family of editorial products, including the Aviation International News monthly edition; AINonline; and AINalerts, Air Transport Perspective, Defense Perspective, and BJT Waypoints e-newsletters, as well as AIN’s daily airshow editions and Business Jet Traveler.

Thurber has worked for AIN for 17 years and will be relocating from his current home in Los Angeles to work at AIN’s editorial headquarters in New Jersey. A frequent contributer to BJT, he is an award-winning aviation journalist and a pilot with multiple jet type ratings and is an A&P mechanic.

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AIN Publications managing director Wilson Leach commented: “All of us are thrilled we were able to promote Matt into the editor-in-chief position—only the fourth in AIN’s 45-year history. What I particularly like is that Matt’s DNA is steeped in the editorial quality standards established in 1972 under the direction of founding editor Jim Holahan, followed by Randy Padfield and, of course, Charlie Alcock. Matt is homegrown, so to speak, and we all just could not be happier that he is stepping up. He will do a great job leading AIN’s established editorial team.”

Alcock has been editor-in-chief since 2012 and has worked for AIN since 1990. “It has been an enormous privilege to lead the AIN team, and I am extremely proud of our achievements in building this staunchly independent media group into a modern, digital-first news and information hub serving a growing audience of aviation professionals worldwide,” he commented. “But now the time is right for me to return to London to pursue a new career challenge. Matt Thurber epitomizes all that is great about AIN, which will thrive under his leadership.”

Leach concluded, “We are, of course, sorry to see Charlie leave and I personally wish him continued success in his return to the UK. It would take too many words to acknowledge his great contribution to the success of AIN, but he will be leaving us in very good shape."