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Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

Margareta Denton edited this page 2025-01-12 11:12:30 +00:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant market program in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing buyers with their smooth shapes, luxurious cabins - and significantly, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display novel forms of aviation fuel considered less harmful to the climate, from used cooking oil to the distinctly less attractive meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting sustainable fuel to curb emissions might make business jets more appealing to environmentally mindful buyers - particularly corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

The accessibility of less contaminating personal jets might likewise spare the rich and well-known 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 in Las Vegas are utilizing California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.

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

"All of our product is inedible."

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

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall yearly carbon emissions internationally, however can produce, usually, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.

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

But planemakers state events such as the furore over his travel plan have actually added fresh difficulties for an industry currently making every effort to justify its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including making use of personal jets are unfortunate when you think about that our industry has actually delivered fuel efficiency enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image makeover - with jets sporting stickers like "this airplane flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for going to aircrafts - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

Environmentalists and some analysts stay skeptical that biojetfuels, typically mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial effect on public understandings about high-end travel.

"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make business jets look eco-friendly," stated aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from organization jet operators for renewable fuels now far surpasses 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 approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and consultants are likewise seeing more interest from clients who desire to buy 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 utilization study his business recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.

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