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

Luke Ferris edited this page 2025-01-12 12:45:00 +08:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest market show in Las Vegas luxury jets are luring buyers with their sleek shapes, plush cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to showcase unique forms of aviation fuel deemed less damaging to the climate, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less glamorous meat waste.

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

Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to curb emissions could make service jets more appealing to environmentally mindful buyers - particularly corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The availability of less polluting private jets might likewise spare the abundant and famous the negative promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half Meghan over a recent private jet trip to southern France.

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

The latest waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," said Bryan Sherbacow, primary commercial 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 on screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

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

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

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

"Incidents of flight shaming including using private jets are unfortunate when you think about that our market has actually delivered fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly 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 event.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, typically blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable effect on public understandings about luxury travel.

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

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

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

Corporate charter companies and consultants are likewise seeing more interest from customers who want to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions played a function 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 rate, expense per hour, range, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I think individuals are ending up being more knowledgeable about the sustainability of operations and how it affects the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)