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Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

Geraldo Bowden edited this page 2025-01-11 21:35:11 +01:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest industry program in Las Vegas high-end jets are tempting buyers with their smooth shapes, luxurious cabins - and significantly, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display novel forms of aviation fuel considered less harmful to the environment, from used cooking oil to the definitely less glamorous meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have acquiesced environmental pressure on aviation and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions could make company jets more appealing to environmentally mindful purchasers - specifically corporations facing questions over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

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

Five Gulfstream jets on display 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 market," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.

"All of our item 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 show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

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

Prince Harry has defended his occasional usage of private jets to guarantee his household's safety, and has actually stated that on the unusual occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say incidents such as the furore over his itinerary have actually added fresh obstacles for a market currently striving to validate its contribution to cutting corporate costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming including using personal jets are regrettable 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 market make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to industry data, billionaires just have a 19% business jet ownership rate.

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

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

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

Demand from organization jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far surpasses 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 up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and specialists are also seeing more interest from clients 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 contributed 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 price, cost per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe people are becoming more conscious of the sustainability of operations and how it affects the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)