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 biggest market show in Las Vegas high-end jets are luring purchasers with their streamlined silhouettes, luxurious 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 environment, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less attractive meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting sustainable fuel to suppress emissions might make organization jets more appealing to environmentally conscious purchasers - particularly corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.

The accessibility of less contaminating personal jets might likewise spare the abundant and well-known the negative promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half Meghan over a recent private jet trip to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on 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 commercial 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 screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel blends expected to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions internationally, but can produce, usually, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually protected his periodic use of personal jets to ensure his household's security, and has actually stated that on the rare celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say events such as the furore over his schedule have actually included fresh difficulties for a market currently making every effort to validate its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including the usage of private jets are unfortunate when you consider that our industry has provided fuel effectiveness enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will help the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to market data, billionaires only have a 19% company jet ownership rate.

But even an image makeover - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for visiting planes - is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet event.

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

"No amount of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make business jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from organization jet operators for sustainable fuels now far surpasses supply and their interest might production, Sherbacow stated.

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

Corporate charter companies and consultants are also seeing more interest from consumers who wish to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions contributed in a business jet utilization study his business recently finished for a Fortune 500 company.

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