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 show in Las Vegas high-end jets are enticing buyers with their streamlined shapes, plush cabins – and progressively, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to display novel kinds of aviation fuel considered less damaging to the environment, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less attractive meat waste.

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

Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to curb emissions might make service jets more attractive to environmentally conscious buyers – especially corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The availability of less polluting personal jets might also spare the rich and popular the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain’s Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a current personal jet journey to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on 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 byproducts of the food industry, » stated Bryan Sherbacow, primary industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

« All of our item is inedible. »

A few of the other 79 airplane on display are expected 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 worldwide, however can give off, 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 safeguarded his occasional usage of personal jets to ensure his household’s safety, and has actually stated that on the rare occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say events such as the furore over his schedule have actually added fresh challenges for an industry currently aiming to validate its contribution to cutting corporate costs.

« Incidents of flight shaming involving the use of private jets are unfortunate when you think about that our industry has delivered fuel efficiency improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years, » stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image remodeling – with jets sporting sticker labels like « this airplane flies on eco-friendly fuels » and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for visiting airplanes – is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

Environmentalists and some experts remain hesitant that biojetfuels, usually blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant impact on public understandings about luxury travel.

« No quantity of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization jets look eco-friendly, » stated aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from organization 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, could expand production approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and consultants are also seeing more interest from consumers who desire to buy carbon credits to from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions played a role in a business jet usage research study his company just recently finished for a Fortune 500 company.

« At the end of the day, I believe that price, cost per hour, variety, speed and performance, that’s still the (sales) motorist. 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)