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Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

Isla Hawker edited this page 2025-01-11 17:33:17 +00:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant market show in Las Vegas high-end jets are drawing purchasers with their sleek shapes, luxurious cabins - and progressively, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to showcase novel kinds of aviation fuel deemed less hazardous to the environment, from used cooking oil to the definitely less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airlines, have acquiesced ecological pressure on aviation and committed to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

Their hope is that adopting renewable fuel to suppress emissions could make business jets more attractive to ecologically conscious purchasers - especially corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The availability of less contaminating private jets could also spare the rich and famous the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his better half Meghan over a recent private jet journey to southern France.

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

The newest waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food market," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief business officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our product is inedible."

A few of the other 79 aircraft on screen are expected 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 overall yearly carbon emissions internationally, but can discharge, 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 safeguarded his occasional use of private jets to guarantee his household's safety, and has stated that on the rare celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say events such as the furore over his itinerary have included fresh challenges for an industry already making every effort to justify its contribution to cutting corporate costs.

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

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the market make inroads with corporations and rich purchasers. According to industry data, billionaires only have a 19% organization jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this airplane flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for visiting airplanes - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet event.

and some analysts remain skeptical that biojetfuels, normally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial impact on public understandings about high-end travel.

"No quantity of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from organization jet operators for eco-friendly 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 expand production up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and experts are also seeing more interest from clients who wish to buy carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions played a function in a business jet utilization research study his business recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.

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