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 most significant industry program in Las Vegas luxury jets are tempting buyers with their sleek shapes, plush cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.

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

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

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

The schedule of less contaminating personal jets might likewise spare the abundant and popular the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a recent personal jet trip to southern France.

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

The most recent waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food market," said Bryan Sherbacow, primary commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer 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 screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel blends expected to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions globally, however can produce, usually, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has safeguarded his occasional use of private jets to guarantee his family's security, and has stated that on the rare events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state occurrences such as the furore over his itinerary have actually added fresh difficulties for an industry currently making every effort to justify its contribution to cutting corporate costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming including using personal jets are regrettable when you consider that our market has delivered fuel performance 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 rich buyers. According to market information, billionaires only have a 19% organization jet ownership rate.

But even an image makeover - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for visiting airplanes - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain hesitant that biojetfuels, generally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant effect on public perceptions about luxury travel.

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

Demand from company jet operators for renewable 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 broaden production as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and specialists are likewise seeing more interest from customers who wish to purchase carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.

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

"At the end of the day, I think that cost, cost per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) motorist. But I think individuals are ending up being more conscious of the sustainability of operations and how it affects the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)