Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show
By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant market show in Las Vegas high-end jets are tempting purchasers with their smooth silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.
Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to display unique forms of air travel fuel considered less hazardous to the climate, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less attractive meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airlines, have actually bowed to environmental pressure on air travel and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.
Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions could make service jets more attractive to ecologically conscious buyers - particularly corporations facing concerns over sustainability from investors or green project groups.
The schedule of less polluting personal jets could also spare the abundant and popular the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his better half Meghan over a recent private jet trip to southern France.
Five Gulfstream jets on display screen 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 by-products of the food industry," said Bryan Sherbacow, primary commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.
"All of our product is inedible."
A few of the other 79 airplane on display screen are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel blends expected to be pumped at the program.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall yearly carbon emissions worldwide, but can give off, usually, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.
Prince Harry has defended his occasional use of personal jets to ensure his family's safety, and has stated that on the uncommon events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers state incidents such as the furore over his schedule have actually included fresh challenges for an industry currently aiming to validate its contribution to cutting business expenses.
"Incidents of flight shaming involving the use of private jets are regrettable when you consider that our market has actually delivered fuel effectiveness enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel use will help the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to industry data, billionaires just have a 19% service jet ownership rate.
But even an image makeover - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for checking out aircrafts - is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.
Environmentalists and some experts stay hesitant that biojetfuels, typically combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial impact on public understandings about high-end travel.
"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make company jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel analyst Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from company jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow said.
World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, might broaden production up to 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter business and consultants are likewise seeing more interest from consumers who wish to buy carbon credits to balance out from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions contributed in a corporate jet utilization study his business recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.
"At the end of the day, I believe that cost, cost per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) motorist. But I think people 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)