Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show
By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry show in Las Vegas luxury jets are luring buyers with their smooth shapes, plush cabins - and significantly, their usage of alternative fuels.
Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display unique types of aviation fuel deemed less hazardous to the climate, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less attractive meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airline companies, have acquiesced environmental pressure on air travel and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.
Their hope is that adopting sustainable fuel to suppress emissions might make organization jets more appealing to environmentally conscious buyers - particularly corporations facing concerns over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.
The availability of less contaminating personal jets could likewise spare the rich and well-known the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan over a current private jet journey to southern France.
Five Gulfstream jets on display 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 market," stated Bryan Sherbacow, primary business 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 aircraft 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 represent less than 0.1% of overall yearly carbon emissions internationally, however can discharge, usually, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.
Prince Harry has safeguarded his occasional use of personal jets to ensure his family's safety, and has actually stated that on the unusual events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers say occurrences such as the furore over his itinerary have actually added fresh obstacles for a market currently making every effort to justify its contribution to cutting corporate costs.
"Incidents of flight shaming involving using personal jets are unfortunate when you consider that our industry has actually provided fuel effectiveness enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to market information, billionaires just have a 19% business jet ownership rate.
But even an image makeover - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for checking out aircrafts - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.
Environmentalists and some analysts remain hesitant that biojetfuels, usually combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable effect on public understandings about high-end travel.
"No quantity of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel expert .
Demand from company jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far surpasses supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow stated.
World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, could broaden production as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter companies and specialists are also seeing more interest from clients who want to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions contributed in a corporate jet usage research study his business recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.
"At the end of the day, I believe that cost, cost per hour, variety, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) driver. But I think people are becoming more knowledgeable about the sustainability of operations and how it affects the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)