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Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

heribertothrin edited this page 2025-01-12 13:02:41 +08:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry show in Las Vegas high-end jets are drawing buyers with their smooth shapes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to display novel types of aviation fuel considered less damaging to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airlines, have actually acquiesced ecological pressure on aviation and dedicated to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that fuel to suppress emissions could make service jets more appealing to environmentally mindful purchasers - specifically corporations facing questions over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The schedule of less contaminating personal jets could also spare the abundant and well-known the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a current personal jet trip 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 market," stated 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 aircraft on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel blends expected to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions globally, but can produce, usually, 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 occasional usage of personal jets to guarantee his family's security, and has actually said that on the uncommon celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state incidents such as the furore over his schedule have actually included fresh difficulties for a market currently striving to justify its contribution to cutting business costs.

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

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

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

Environmentalists and some analysts remain skeptical that biojetfuels, typically blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable effect on public perceptions about high-end travel.

"No quantity of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make company jets look eco-friendly," stated aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from business jet operators for eco-friendly 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, could expand production up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and specialists are also seeing more interest from customers who wish to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

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

"At the end of the day, I believe that price, expense per hour, variety, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I think individuals are becoming more familiar with the sustainability of operations and how it affects the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)