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

Blanche Swader edited this page 5 months ago

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant industry program in Las Vegas luxury jets are drawing purchasers with their smooth silhouettes, plush cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to display novel forms of aviation fuel deemed less damaging to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the distinctly less attractive meat waste.

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

Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to suppress emissions could make business jets more appealing to environmentally mindful buyers - especially corporations facing questions over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

The schedule of less contaminating private jets might also spare the rich and famous the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half Meghan over a recent private jet journey to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on display screen 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, chief business officer of Boston-based biofuel producer 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 anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions worldwide, however can emit, usually, approximately 20 times more per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has defended his occasional usage of personal jets to guarantee his household's safety, and has actually stated that on the rare celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say occurrences such as the furore over his travel plan have included fresh difficulties for an industry already aiming to justify its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including the usage of personal jets are regrettable when you think about that our market has actually delivered fuel performance enhancements 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 purchasers. According to industry information, billionaires only have a 19% business jet ownership rate.

But even an image makeover - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for going to aircrafts - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, normally combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial effect on public perceptions about high-end travel.

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

Demand from business jet operators for renewable fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow stated.

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

Corporate charter companies and specialists are also seeing more interest from customers who wish to buy carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.

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

"At the end of the day, I think that cost, expense per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) driver. But I think people 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)