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

Alecia Speight edited this page 2025-01-12 07:37:13 +01:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry program in Las Vegas luxury jets are tempting purchasers with their sleek shapes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.

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

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

Their hope is that embracing sustainable fuel to suppress emissions could make service jets more attractive to ecologically conscious purchasers - specifically corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The availability of less contaminating personal jets could also spare the abundant and well-known the negative promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a recent personal 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 byproducts of the food industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, primary industrial 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 aircraft on display screen are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions worldwide, however can produce, typically, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.

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

But planemakers say events such as the furore over his schedule have actually added fresh difficulties for a market currently striving to justify its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including using private jets are regrettable when you think about that our market has provided fuel effectiveness enhancements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and rich buyers. According to market information, billionaires just have a 19% company jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on renewable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for checking out airplanes - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, typically combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial impact on public perceptions about luxury travel.

"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make company jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from company jet operators for renewable fuels now far surpasses supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow stated.

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

Corporate charter companies and experts are also seeing more interest from customers who desire to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

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

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