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 with their smooth silhouettes, plush cabins - and progressively, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to display novel types of air travel fuel deemed less harmful to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airlines, have actually acquiesced ecological pressure on aviation and dedicated to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to curb emissions could make service jets more appealing to ecologically conscious buyers - specifically corporations facing questions over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

The accessibility of less polluting private jets might also spare the rich and well-known the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner 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 byproducts of the food industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, primary industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.

"All of our item is inedible."

A few of the other 79 aircraft on screen are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions worldwide, but can produce, usually, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has safeguarded his occasional use of personal jets to ensure his family's safety, and has actually stated that on the unusual events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state incidents such as the furore over his travel plan have added fresh challenges for an industry currently aiming to justify its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving the use of private jets are regrettable when you consider that our market has provided fuel efficiency improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on renewable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for going to planes - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

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

"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make business jets look eco-friendly," stated aviation expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from organization jet operators for sustainable 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, might broaden production approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter companies and consultants are likewise seeing more interest from consumers 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 function in a corporate jet usage research study his business recently finished for a Fortune 500 company.

"At the end of the day, I think that rate, cost per hour, variety, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I think individuals are ending up being more knowledgeable about the sustainability of operations and how it affects the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)