By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant market program in Las Vegas luxury jets are drawing buyers with their streamlined shapes, luxurious cabins - and progressively, their usage of alternative fuels.
Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to showcase novel kinds of air travel fuel deemed less damaging to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the definitely less attractive meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airline companies, have actually acquiesced ecological pressure on air travel and devoted to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.
Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions could make service jets more attractive to ecologically mindful buyers - especially corporations facing concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.
The accessibility of less polluting private jets could also spare the rich and well-known the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a current private 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," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.
"All of our product is inedible."
A few of the other 79 airplane on display screen are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the show.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions globally, but can produce, on average, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.
Prince Harry has actually defended his periodic usage of personal jets to guarantee his family's safety, and has actually stated that on the uncommon events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But state events such as the furore over his itinerary have included fresh obstacles for a market currently striving to justify its contribution to cutting corporate costs.
"Incidents of flight shaming involving the usage of private jets are regrettable when you consider that our market has actually provided 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 purchasers. According to industry information, billionaires just have a 19% organization jet ownership rate.
But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for checking out airplanes - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.
Environmentalists and some analysts stay skeptical that biojetfuels, typically blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant effect on public understandings about high-end travel.
"No quantity of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from organization jet operators for sustainable fuels now far exceeds supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow said.
World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, could expand production approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter companies and experts are likewise seeing more interest from customers who wish to buy 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 business jet utilization study his company just recently finished for a Fortune 500 business.
"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 people are ending up being more aware of the sustainability of operations and how it affects the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)
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Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show
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