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Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) – At the world’s greatest industry show in Las Vegas high-end jets are enticing buyers with their sleek silhouettes, luxurious cabins – and progressively, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display unique types of aviation fuel considered less harmful to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airlines, have actually acquiesced environmental pressure on air travel and committed to in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

Their hope is that embracing eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions could make company jets more attractive to ecologically mindful buyers – especially corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

The availability of less polluting personal jets could also spare the abundant and popular the negative promotion experienced by Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife 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 by-products of the food market,” said Bryan Sherbacow, chief business officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer 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 expected 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 overall annual carbon emissions worldwide, however can give off, typically, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has actually defended his periodic usage of personal jets to guarantee his family’s security, and has actually stated that on the uncommon celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state events such as the furore over his travel plan have actually included fresh obstacles for a market already making every effort to justify its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

“Incidents of flight shaming including making use of private jets are unfortunate when you consider that our market has actually provided fuel effectiveness enhancements of 40% over the past 40 years,” said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image remodeling – with jets sporting stickers like “this airplane flies on eco-friendly fuels” and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for visiting aircrafts – is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet event.

Environmentalists and some experts stay doubtful that biojetfuels, typically combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial influence on public perceptions about high-end travel.

“No amount of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make company jets look eco-friendly,” stated aviation expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from organization jet operators for sustainable fuels now far exceeds 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 as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and experts are also seeing more interest from clients who wish to purchase carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions played a role in a business jet usage research study his business recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.

“At the end of the day, I think that cost, cost per hour, range, speed and efficiency, that’s still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe people are ending up being more mindful of the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the planet.” (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)