1 Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show
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By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant industry program in Las Vegas high-end jets are enticing purchasers with their smooth shapes, plush cabins - and significantly, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to showcase unique kinds of aviation fuel deemed less damaging to the environment, from used cooking oil to the distinctly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have bowed to ecological pressure on air travel and dedicated to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that embracing eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions could make business jets more appealing to environmentally mindful purchasers - especially corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The schedule of less contaminating personal jets could also spare the rich and famous the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan over a recent private jet trip to southern France.

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

The current waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food market," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial 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 airplane on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions globally, however can release, usually, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

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

But planemakers say events such as the furore over his itinerary have added fresh obstacles for an industry already striving to justify its contribution to cutting corporate costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming including the usage of private jets are unfortunate when you think about that our market has delivered fuel effectiveness enhancements of 40% over the past 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel use will assist the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to market information, billionaires only have a 19% company jet ownership rate.

But even an image makeover - with jets labels like "this aircraft flies on renewable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for going to airplanes - is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts stay hesitant that biojetfuels, usually combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant effect on public understandings about luxury travel.

"No quantity of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," stated aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from organization jet operators for renewable fuels now far surpasses supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow said.

World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, might broaden production as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter companies and consultants are likewise seeing more interest from consumers who desire to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions contributed in a business jet utilization study his business just recently finished for a Fortune 500 business.

"At the end of the day, I think that rate, cost per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) driver. But I believe individuals are ending up being more knowledgeable about the sustainability of operations and how it affects the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)