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

Murray Carone edited this page 2025-01-18 21:38:51 +08:00

By Allison Lampert

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

Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to display novel forms of air travel fuel deemed less harmful to the environment, from used cooking oil to the clearly less glamorous meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting renewable fuel to suppress emissions might make company jets more appealing to environmentally conscious buyers - especially corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The availability of less contaminating personal jets could likewise spare the abundant and famous the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a current 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 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 anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel blends expected to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions globally, but can emit, on average, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has protected his periodic use of personal jets to ensure his household's security, and has actually said that on the uncommon events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say events such as the furore over his schedule have included fresh obstacles for an industry currently striving to validate its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including using personal jets are unfortunate when you think about 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 usage will help the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to industry data, billionaires only have a 19% service jet ownership rate.

But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on renewable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for going to aircrafts - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts stay hesitant that biojetfuels, normally combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable influence on public understandings about luxury travel.

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

Demand from service jet operators for sustainable fuels now far exceeds supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow said.

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

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

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

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