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

Raymon Proby edited this page 2025-01-11 08:58:53 -05:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry show in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing purchasers with their streamlined shapes, luxurious cabins - and progressively, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to showcase novel types of air travel fuel considered less hazardous to the climate, from used cooking oil to the clearly less glamorous meat waste.

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

Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to suppress emissions could make service jets more to ecologically mindful buyers - particularly corporations facing concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The availability of less contaminating private jets could likewise spare the rich and famous the negative promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his better half Meghan over a recent 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," 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 item is inedible."

A few 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 represent less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions globally, however can give off, usually, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

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

But planemakers state events such as the furore over his itinerary have actually added fresh obstacles for an industry currently aiming to validate its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including using private jets are unfortunate when you consider that our industry has delivered fuel performance improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to industry information, billionaires only have a 19% company jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on renewable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for checking out airplanes - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet event.

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

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

Demand from business jet operators for renewable fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest might 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 specialists are likewise seeing more interest from customers 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 played a role in a business jet usage study his company just recently finished for a Fortune 500 business.

"At the end of the day, I think that price, expense per hour, variety, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) motorist. But I think people are ending up being more aware of the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)