Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show
By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest market program in Las Vegas high-end jets are drawing buyers with their sleek shapes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.
Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to display novel types of air travel fuel considered less damaging to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the distinctly less glamorous meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airlines, have acquiesced environmental pressure on aviation and devoted to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.
Their hope is that embracing sustainable fuel to curb emissions might make service jets more attractive to environmentally mindful buyers - especially corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.
The availability of less contaminating private jets might likewise spare the rich and well-known the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a recent personal jet journey 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 include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," 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 airplane on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the program.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets represent less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions internationally, but can discharge, on average, 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 guarantee his family's security, and has said that on the uncommon occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers state occurrences such as the furore over his itinerary have actually included fresh difficulties for an industry already making every effort to validate its contribution to cutting business expenses.
"Incidents of flight shaming involving making use of private jets are regrettable when you think about that our industry has actually provided fuel efficiency enhancements of 40% over the past 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President .
Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy 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 aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for visiting aircrafts - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.
Environmentalists and some experts stay skeptical that biojetfuels, normally combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant influence on public perceptions about luxury travel.
"No amount of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make company jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from organization 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 up to 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter companies and consultants are also seeing more interest from customers who desire to buy carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions contributed in a corporate jet utilization study his business just recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.
"At the end of the day, I believe that price, cost per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I think 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)