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

Benny Zelman edited this page 2025-01-11 22:27:51 +00:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant market program in Las Vegas luxury jets are drawing purchasers with their sleek silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to showcase novel types of aviation fuel considered less hazardous to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airlines, have bowed to ecological pressure on aviation and dedicated to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that adopting sustainable fuel to curb emissions could make company jets more appealing to ecologically mindful buyers - especially corporations facing concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The availability of less polluting private jets could also spare the abundant and well-known the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half 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 latest waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, primary commercial 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 display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions globally, but can release, typically, 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 safeguarded his occasional use of personal jets to guarantee his family's security, and has said that on the uncommon celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say events such as the furore over his travel plan have added fresh challenges for a market already making every effort to justify its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

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

Bombardier believes fuel use will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and rich buyers. According to market data, billionaires only have a 19% service 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 visiting aircrafts - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

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

"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization jets look eco-friendly," said aviation expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from company jet operators for renewable fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest could 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 business and specialists are also seeing more interest from consumers who wish to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

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

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