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

Magdalena Boucher edited this page 2025-01-12 11:44:05 +08:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest market program in Las Vegas luxury jets are luring buyers with their streamlined shapes, luxurious cabins - and progressively, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to showcase unique kinds of air travel fuel deemed less hazardous to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the noticeably less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have bowed to ecological pressure on aviation and committed to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

Their hope is that embracing sustainable fuel to curb emissions might make organization jets more attractive to ecologically conscious buyers - especially corporations facing concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The schedule of less polluting personal jets could likewise spare the abundant and famous the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a current personal jet trip to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on screen in Las Vegas are utilizing California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.

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

"All of our product is inedible."

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

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions internationally, but can discharge, usually, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually defended his periodic usage of private jets to ensure his household's safety, and has actually stated that on the rare events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state events such as the furore over his itinerary have included fresh obstacles for an industry currently making every effort to validate its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving the usage of personal jets are regrettable when you think about that our market has delivered fuel performance enhancements 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 market information, billionaires only have a 19% service jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for visiting airplanes - is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain hesitant that biojetfuels, usually combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable impact on public understandings about high-end travel.

"No amount of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization jets look eco-friendly," said air travel analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from company jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far goes beyond 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 up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and specialists are also seeing more interest from clients who want to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions contributed in a corporate jet utilization study his business recently finished for a Fortune 500 business.

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