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

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry program in Las Vegas high-end jets are enticing buyers with their streamlined shapes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to display unique forms of air travel fuel considered less hazardous to the environment, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less attractive meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions might make business jets more attractive to ecologically mindful purchasers - especially corporations facing questions over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.

The schedule of less contaminating private jets might likewise spare the rich and well-known the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan over a current private jet journey to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on display 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 industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief 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 display are expected 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 overall yearly carbon emissions worldwide, but can discharge, on average, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually defended his occasional use of personal jets to guarantee his household's safety, and has said that on the rare celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state occurrences such as the furore over his schedule have actually added fresh difficulties for a market already making every effort to justify its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

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

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

But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for going to planes - is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

and some experts remain hesitant that biojetfuels, typically combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant effect on public understandings about luxury travel.

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

Demand from service 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 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, said emissions contributed in a corporate jet utilization study his business just recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.

"At the end of the day, I believe that rate, cost per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) driver. 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)