1 Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show
Demetra Marquardt edited this page 2025-01-12 09:20:24 +00:00


By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest industry program in Las Vegas high-end jets are drawing purchasers with their sleek shapes, plush cabins - and progressively, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to showcase unique forms of aviation fuel considered less harmful to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the distinctly less glamorous meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions might make business jets more attractive to environmentally conscious buyers - particularly corporations facing questions over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The schedule of less contaminating private jets could likewise spare the abundant and famous the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his better half Meghan over a current personal jet trip 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 market," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our item is inedible."

Some of the other 79 airplane on screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel blends expected to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall yearly carbon emissions worldwide, however can discharge, on average, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has actually protected his occasional use of private jets to guarantee his household's safety, and has said that on the rare occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say events such as the furore over his schedule have actually added fresh difficulties for an industry already striving to justify its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving the use of personal jets are regrettable when you consider that our market has provided fuel efficiency enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel use will help the industry make inroads with corporations and rich buyers. According to industry information, billionaires just have a 19% service jet ownership rate.

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

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

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

Demand from business jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far exceeds 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 business and consultants are also seeing more interest from consumers who wish to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions played a role in a corporate jet usage research study his company recently finished for a Fortune 500 company.

"At the end of the day, I think that rate, cost per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) driver. But I think individuals are ending up being more conscious of the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)