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

Kristi Chow edited this page 2025-01-14 21:16:27 +08:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant industry program in Las Vegas luxury jets are drawing buyers with their smooth silhouettes, plush cabins - and significantly, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to display unique forms of aviation fuel considered less damaging to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the definitely less attractive meat waste.

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

Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to curb emissions might make company jets more attractive to environmentally conscious purchasers - particularly corporations facing questions over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

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

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

The current waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food industry," said Bryan Sherbacow, primary business officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.

"All of our product is inedible."

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

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions worldwide, but can discharge, usually, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has defended his occasional usage of personal jets to guarantee his family's security, and has said that on the rare events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state occurrences such as the furore over his schedule have actually added fresh obstacles for an industry already striving to validate its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including the usage 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 thinks increased sustainable fuel usage will help the industry make inroads with corporations and rich buyers. According to industry information, billionaires only have a 19% service jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on renewable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for visiting airplanes - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet event.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, typically blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial effect on public perceptions about high-end travel.

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

Demand from service jet operators for renewable fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow stated.

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

Corporate charter business and experts are also seeing more interest from consumers who want to buy 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 business jet utilization study his business recently finished for a Fortune 500 company.

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