Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show
By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry program in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing buyers with their streamlined silhouettes, plush cabins - and progressively, their usage of alternative fuels.
Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to display novel forms of aviation fuel deemed less hazardous to the climate, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less glamorous meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airlines, have acquiesced ecological pressure on aviation and devoted to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.
Their hope is that embracing eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions might make business jets more appealing to environmentally conscious purchasers - especially corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.
The accessibility of less polluting private jets might also spare the abundant and famous the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half Meghan over a current personal jet trip to southern France.
Five Gulfstream jets on display in Las Vegas are using California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.
The most current waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food market," said Bryan Sherbacow, primary business officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.
"All of our product is inedible."
Some of the other 79 aircraft on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel blends expected to be pumped at the show.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets represent less than 0.1% of overall yearly carbon emissions internationally, but can give off, on average, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.
Prince Harry has defended his occasional use of personal jets to ensure his family's security, and has actually said that on the uncommon celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers state incidents such as the furore over his schedule have actually added fresh obstacles for a market currently striving to validate its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.
"Incidents of flight shaming including making use of private jets are unfortunate when you consider that our industry has actually provided fuel performance improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the market make inroads with corporations and rich purchasers. According to market information, billionaires just have a 19% service jet ownership rate.
But even an image transformation - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for planes - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.
Environmentalists and some experts remain hesitant that biojetfuels, typically mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable impact on public perceptions about high-end travel.
"No quantity of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make business jets look eco-friendly," stated aviation expert 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, might broaden production approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter business and experts are also seeing more interest from customers who wish to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions played a role in a corporate jet usage study his company recently finished for a Fortune 500 business.
"At the end of the day, I believe that rate, cost per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe people are ending up being more familiar with the sustainability of operations and how it affects the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)