Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) – At the world’s most significant industry program in Las Vegas luxury jets are tempting buyers with their smooth silhouettes, luxurious cabins – and progressively, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to showcase novel types of air travel fuel considered less hazardous to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the noticeably less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have bowed to environmental pressure on aviation and devoted to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

Their hope is that adopting renewable fuel to suppress emissions might make company jets more appealing to ecologically mindful buyers – especially corporations facing concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The availability of less polluting personal jets could likewise spare the abundant and famous the negative promotion experienced by Britain’s Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a current 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 current waste-based fuels consist of “fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food market,” said Bryan Sherbacow, primary industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer 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 display are to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel blends expected to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions internationally, but can discharge, typically, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has actually defended his periodic use of private jets to ensure his family’s safety, and has actually stated that on the uncommon occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state events such as the furore over his travel plan have added fresh challenges for a market currently aiming to justify its contribution to cutting business costs.

“Incidents of flight shaming including using personal jets are regrettable when you consider that our industry has actually provided fuel performance improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years,” stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image makeover – with jets sporting stickers like “this aircraft flies on renewable fuels” and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for visiting airplanes – is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet event.

Environmentalists and some analysts stay doubtful that biojetfuels, normally combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial influence on public understandings about luxury travel.

“No amount of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly,” said aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from business jet operators for renewable fuels now far surpasses supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow said.

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

Corporate charter business and consultants are likewise 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, said emissions played a function in a corporate jet usage study his business just recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.

“At the end of the day, I believe that cost, expense per hour, range, speed and performance, that’s still the (sales) motorist. But I believe 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)