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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 most significant industry show in Las Vegas luxury jets are drawing buyers with their sleek shapes, plush cabins - and significantly, their usage of alternative fuels.

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

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have actually bowed to environmental pressure on aviation and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that embracing eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions might make service jets more appealing to ecologically mindful buyers - particularly corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.

The accessibility of less polluting private jets might also spare the and well-known the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a recent private jet trip to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on screen 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 byproducts of the food industry," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our product is inedible."

Some of the other 79 airplane on display screen are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel mixes expected to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions internationally, but can produce, on average, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually protected his periodic use of private jets to guarantee his family's safety, and has actually said that on the unusual occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state occurrences such as the furore over his itinerary have added fresh difficulties for an industry already making every effort to validate its contribution to cutting corporate costs.

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

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the market make inroads with corporations and rich purchasers. According to industry information, billionaires just have a 19% organization jet ownership rate.

But even an image makeover - with jets sporting stickers like "this airplane flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for going to aircrafts - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

Environmentalists and some experts remain skeptical that biojetfuels, generally combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant effect on public perceptions about luxury travel.

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

Demand from organization jet operators for eco-friendly 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, might broaden production as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.

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

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

"At the end of the day, I believe that price, cost per hour, variety, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe people are ending up being more conscious of the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)