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1 Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest market show in Las Vegas high-end jets are enticing buyers with their streamlined silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and progressively, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to display unique forms of aviation fuel considered less harmful to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the definitely less attractive meat waste.

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

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

The availability of less contaminating personal jets might also spare the rich and famous the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan over a recent private jet trip 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 include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food market," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our product is inedible."

Some of the other 79 airplane on screen are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel mixes expected to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

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

Prince Harry has actually defended his occasional use of personal jets to ensure his household's safety, and has stated that on the uncommon events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say events such as the furore over his schedule have actually included fresh for a market currently striving to justify its contribution to cutting business costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving using personal jets are regrettable when you think about that our industry has delivered fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for going to airplanes - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some experts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, usually combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial effect on public understandings about luxury travel.

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

Demand from service jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far exceeds 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 approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and specialists are likewise seeing more interest from clients who wish to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions played a function in a corporate jet utilization study his company just recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.

"At the end of the day, I believe that rate, expense per hour, variety, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe individuals are becoming more familiar with the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)