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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 biggest market program in Las Vegas luxury jets are luring buyers with their sleek shapes, luxurious cabins - and progressively, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to display novel forms of air travel fuel deemed less harmful to the climate, from used cooking oil to the distinctly less glamorous meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting sustainable fuel to curb emissions might make service jets more appealing to ecologically mindful purchasers - particularly corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.

The availability of less contaminating personal jets might likewise spare the rich and popular the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a recent personal jet journey to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on screen in Las Vegas are utilizing California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.

The latest waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.

"All of our item is inedible."

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

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of overall yearly carbon emissions worldwide, however can produce, on average, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually defended his occasional use of private jets to guarantee his household's security, and has stated that on the unusual occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state events such as the furore over his schedule have added fresh challenges for a market currently making every effort to justify its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving the use of private jets are unfortunate when you think about that our market has delivered fuel effectiveness enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel use will assist the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to industry information, billionaires just have a 19% organization 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 visiting planes - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.

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

"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization jets look eco-friendly," stated aviation expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from service jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow stated.

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

Corporate charter companies and consultants are likewise seeing more interest from consumers who wish to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their .

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

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