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 greatest industry show in Las Vegas high-end jets are tempting buyers with their sleek shapes, luxurious cabins - and progressively, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display unique types of air travel fuel considered less damaging to the climate, from oil to the clearly less glamorous meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting renewable fuel to suppress emissions could make organization jets more attractive to ecologically mindful buyers - specifically corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

The availability of less contaminating personal jets could likewise spare the rich and famous the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his better half Meghan over a current private jet trip to southern France.

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

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

"All of our item is inedible."

Some of the other 79 airplane on display screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel mixes expected to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions globally, however can release, typically, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.

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

But planemakers say incidents such as the furore over his schedule have added fresh obstacles for a market currently aiming to validate its contribution to cutting corporate costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving using personal jets are unfortunate when you think about that our market has delivered fuel performance improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel use will help the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to industry data, billionaires just have a 19% organization jet ownership rate.

But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for checking out aircrafts - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain skeptical that biojetfuels, usually combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial influence on public perceptions about luxury travel.

"No quantity of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from company jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far exceeds supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow stated.

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

Corporate charter companies and experts are also seeing more interest from consumers who desire to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

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

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