Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) – At the world’s biggest industry program in Las Vegas high-end jets are luring purchasers with their sleek shapes, luxurious cabins – and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to showcase unique types of air travel fuel considered less hazardous to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airlines, have acquiesced environmental pressure on air travel and devoted to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

Their hope is that embracing eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions might make business jets more attractive to ecologically conscious buyers – especially corporations facing questions over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The schedule of less polluting personal jets might also spare the rich and popular the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan over a recent personal jet journey to southern France.

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

The current waste-based fuels consist of “fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food industry,” stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

“All of our item is inedible.”

Some of the other 79 aircraft on display screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall yearly carbon emissions worldwide, but can release, typically, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has safeguarded his periodic usage of private jets to guarantee his household’s safety, and has said that on the unusual events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state events such as the furore over his travel plan have included fresh obstacles for an industry already making every effort to validate its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

“Incidents of flight shaming involving the usage of private jets are unfortunate when you consider that our market has delivered fuel effectiveness enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years,” said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel use will help the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to industry data, billionaires just have a 19% organization jet ownership rate.

But even an image makeover – with jets sporting stickers like “this aircraft flies on renewable fuels” and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for visiting airplanes – is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 event.

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

“No quantity of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization jets look eco-friendly,” said aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.

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

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

Corporate charter companies and specialists are also seeing more interest from consumers who want 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 corporate jet usage research study his company just recently finished for a Fortune 500 business.

“At the end of the day, I believe that cost, cost per hour, variety, speed and efficiency, that’s still the (sales) driver. But I think individuals are becoming more aware of the sustainability of operations and how it affects the planet.” (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)