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

Katherine Angulo edited this page 2025-01-12 12:59:14 +08:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest market program in Las Vegas luxury jets are tempting purchasers with their smooth shapes, plush cabins - and increasingly, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to showcase novel kinds of air travel fuel considered less damaging to the environment, from used cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have acquiesced ecological pressure on aviation and dedicated to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions might make organization jets more appealing to ecologically mindful - specifically corporations facing questions over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.

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

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

The current waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food market," said 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 airplane on screen are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

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

Prince Harry has safeguarded his occasional use of personal jets to guarantee his family's safety, and has stated that on the uncommon celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state events such as the furore over his schedule have included fresh difficulties for a market already striving to validate its contribution to cutting corporate costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming including using private jets are unfortunate when you consider that our market has actually provided fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel use will help the industry make inroads with corporations and rich buyers. According to industry data, billionaires only have a 19% service jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for checking out aircrafts - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts stay hesitant that biojetfuels, typically blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial influence on public perceptions about luxury travel.

"No quantity of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make company jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from organization jet operators for sustainable fuels now far exceeds supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow said.

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

Corporate charter companies and experts are likewise seeing more interest from clients who desire to purchase carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.

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

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