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 market program in Las Vegas high-end jets are tempting buyers with their sleek shapes, plush cabins - and increasingly, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to showcase unique kinds of air travel fuel deemed less damaging to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have actually bowed to ecological pressure on air travel and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to curb emissions might make business jets more attractive to environmentally mindful buyers - especially corporations facing concerns over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

The availability of less polluting personal jets could likewise spare the rich and well-known the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half 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 most recent waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food market," stated Bryan Sherbacow, primary industrial 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 aircraft on display screen are to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions worldwide, however can give off, on average, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually protected his occasional usage of private jets to ensure his household's security, and has actually stated that on the rare events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say incidents such as the furore over his travel plan have included fresh obstacles for a market already striving to validate its contribution to cutting business expenses.

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

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

But even an image makeover - with jets sporting stickers like "this airplane flies on renewable 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 event.

Environmentalists and some analysts stay skeptical that biojetfuels, generally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant impact on public understandings about high-end travel.

"No amount of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization 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 stated.

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

Corporate charter companies and experts are also seeing more interest from customers who want to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions played a function in a business jet usage study his company just recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.

"At the end of the day, I think that price, expense per hour, variety, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe people 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)