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

Tiffani Gladden edited this page 7 hours ago

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant market show in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing buyers with their sleek silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and progressively, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to showcase unique forms of air travel fuel considered less hazardous to the environment, from used cooking oil to the definitely less glamorous meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airlines, have actually bowed to environmental pressure on aviation and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

Their hope is that embracing eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions could make service jets more attractive to ecologically mindful buyers - especially corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The availability of less contaminating personal jets might also spare the abundant and well-known the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a current personal jet journey to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on screen in Las Vegas are utilizing 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 industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our item is inedible."

Some of the other 79 aircraft on display screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel mixes 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, on average, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has defended his periodic use of private jets to ensure his family's safety, and has stated that on the rare occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

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

"Incidents of flight shaming including making use of private jets are unfortunate when you think about that our industry has delivered fuel effectiveness enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on renewable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for going to airplanes - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 event.

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

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

Demand from service jet operators for sustainable 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, could expand production up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and consultants are also seeing more interest from consumers who want to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

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

"At the end of the day, I think that rate, expense per hour, range, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) motorist. But I believe people are ending up being more mindful of the sustainability of operations and how it affects the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)