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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 greatest industry program in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing buyers with their sleek silhouettes, plush cabins - and increasingly, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to showcase unique types of air travel fuel considered less harmful to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have acquiesced environmental pressure on air travel and devoted to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions might make company jets more attractive to ecologically mindful buyers - specifically corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The accessibility of less polluting private jets could likewise spare the rich and popular the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a current personal jet trip to southern France.

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

The newest waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food market," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief business 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 aircraft on display screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel blends to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions worldwide, but can discharge, on average, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has actually defended his occasional usage of personal jets to guarantee his household's safety, and has actually stated that on the unusual celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say occurrences such as the furore over his travel plan have actually added fresh challenges for a market already aiming to justify its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including the usage of personal jets are regrettable when you think about that our industry has provided fuel effectiveness improvements 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 rich buyers. According to industry information, billionaires only have a 19% organization jet ownership rate.

But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on sustainable 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 event.

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

"No amount of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from company jet operators for renewable fuels now far surpasses supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow said.

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

Corporate charter companies and specialists are also seeing more interest from clients who want to buy carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions contributed 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 cost, cost per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) driver. But I think individuals are ending up being more familiar with the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)