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

Lorena Mckinney edited this page 2025-01-11 09:50:20 +00:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest market program in Las Vegas high-end jets are drawing buyers with their sleek silhouettes, plush cabins - and progressively, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to display unique forms of aviation fuel deemed less hazardous to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the noticeably less glamorous meat waste.

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

Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to suppress emissions could make organization jets more appealing to ecologically mindful buyers - especially corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

The availability of less polluting personal jets might also spare the rich and well-known the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse 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 consist of "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food market," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief 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 airplane on screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions worldwide, but can produce, typically, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.

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

But planemakers say events such as the furore over his schedule have actually included fresh obstacles for a market already aiming to validate its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving making use of personal jets are unfortunate when you think about that our industry has actually provided fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel use will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to industry data, billionaires only have a 19% company jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

Environmentalists and some experts stay hesitant that biojetfuels, generally combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable effect on public understandings about high-end travel.

"No quantity of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make business 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 could drive future production, Sherbacow said.

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

Corporate charter companies and specialists are also seeing more interest from consumers 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 played a role 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 cost, expense per hour, range, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I think people are becoming more familiar with the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)