Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

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By Allison Lampert By Allison Lampert

By Allison Lampert


LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest market program in Las Vegas luxury jets are luring purchasers with their sleek silhouettes, plush cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.


Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display unique forms of aviation fuel deemed less harmful to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the clearly less glamorous meat waste.


Business jet operators, like airlines, have actually bowed to ecological pressure on aviation and dedicated to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.


Their hope is that adopting sustainable fuel to suppress emissions might make company jets more appealing to ecologically conscious purchasers - particularly corporations facing questions over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.


The schedule of less polluting private jets could also spare the abundant and famous the negative promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half Meghan over a recent personal jet journey to southern France.


Five Gulfstream jets on display screen in Las Vegas are using California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.


The most recent waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food market," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.


"All of our product is inedible."


A few of the other 79 aircraft on display are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the show.


FLIGHT SHAMING


Private jets represent less than 0.1% of overall yearly carbon emissions globally, however can emit, usually, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.


Prince Harry has actually defended his periodic usage of personal jets to guarantee his family's safety, and has actually said that on the unusual celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.


But planemakers state events such as the furore over his itinerary have included fresh challenges for a market already aiming to validate its contribution to cutting business costs.


"Incidents of flight shaming involving using personal jets are regrettable when you think about that our industry has provided fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.


Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel use will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to industry data, billionaires just have a 19% service jet ownership rate.


But even an image transformation - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for visiting planes - is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.


Environmentalists and some experts stay skeptical that biojetfuels, typically combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant effect on public perceptions about high-end travel.


"No quantity of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make business jets look eco-friendly," said air travel analyst Richard Aboulafia.


Demand from company jet operators for sustainable fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow said.


World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, could expand production approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.


Corporate charter companies and specialists are also seeing more interest from clients who desire to purchase carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.


Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions contributed in a corporate jet usage study his business just recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.


"At the end of the day, I think that cost, expense per hour, variety, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe individuals are ending up being more familiar with the sustainability of operations and how it affects the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)

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