Deleting the wiki page 'Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show' cannot be undone. Continue?
By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest market show in Las Vegas high-end jets are luring buyers with their streamlined shapes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.
Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to showcase unique types of aviation fuel considered less damaging to the climate, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less attractive meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airline companies, have bowed to ecological pressure on aviation and devoted to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.
Their hope is that embracing eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions might make service jets more attractive to ecologically conscious purchasers - specifically corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.
The accessibility of less polluting private jets might likewise spare the abundant and well-known the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a current personal jet trip to southern France.
Five Gulfstream jets on display in Las Vegas are utilizing 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," stated Bryan Sherbacow, primary commercial 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 screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the program.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets represent less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions globally, but can discharge, typically, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.
Prince Harry has defended his occasional usage of personal jets to guarantee his household's security, and has actually stated that on the unusual events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers say incidents such as the furore over his travel plan have included fresh difficulties for a market already striving to justify its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.
"Incidents of flight shaming including using private jets are unfortunate when you consider that our market has provided fuel effectiveness enhancements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will help the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to industry information, billionaires only have a 19% service jet ownership rate.
But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on renewable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for checking out planes - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.
Environmentalists and some experts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, usually mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant influence on public perceptions about .
"No quantity of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make business jets look eco-friendly," said air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from service jet operators for renewable fuels now far exceeds 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 up to 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter business and experts are also seeing more interest from customers who want to purchase carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions played a role in a business jet usage study his business just recently finished for a Fortune 500 company.
"At the end of the day, I believe that cost, expense per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe people are ending up being more knowledgeable about the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)
Deleting the wiki page 'Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show' cannot be undone. Continue?