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 show in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing buyers with their streamlined shapes, plush cabins - and significantly, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display novel forms of air travel fuel considered less harmful to the environment, from used cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting renewable fuel to curb emissions might make business jets more appealing to ecologically conscious purchasers - especially corporations facing concerns over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.

The accessibility of less contaminating private jets could also spare the rich and well-known the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a current personal jet trip to southern France.

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

The newest waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food industry," said 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 airplane on screen are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions worldwide, however can release, usually, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually defended his periodic usage of private jets to ensure his household's security, and has actually said that on the unusual occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say occurrences such as the furore over his travel plan have actually included fresh difficulties for a market already striving to justify its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including making use of personal jets are unfortunate when you think about that our industry has actually 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 industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to market information, billionaires only have a 19% service jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this airplane flies on renewable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for going to airplanes - is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.

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

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

Demand from business 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 approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and consultants are also seeing more interest from clients 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 research study his company recently finished for a Fortune 500 company.

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