oleovest-pl

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

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry program in Las Vegas luxury jets are drawing buyers with their streamlined silhouettes, plush cabins - and significantly, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display novel forms of aviation fuel considered less damaging to the climate, from used cooking oil to the distinctly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airlines, 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 might make service jets more attractive to environmentally conscious purchasers - specifically corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The schedule of less contaminating personal jets could also spare the rich and well-known the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half Meghan over a recent private jet journey to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on display 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 business officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.

"All of our product is inedible."

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

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions internationally, however can release, on average, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has protected his periodic use of personal jets to ensure his household's safety, and has stated that on the unusual occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

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

"Incidents of flight shaming including the use of private jets are unfortunate when you consider that our industry has provided fuel performance enhancements of 40% over the past 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this airplane flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including pumps for visiting planes - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain hesitant that biojetfuels, normally combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant influence on public understandings about high-end travel.

"No quantity of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make company jets look eco-friendly," said air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from service jet operators for sustainable fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest might 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 companies and specialists are also seeing more interest from consumers who want 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 business just recently finished for a Fortune 500 business.

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