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

Rodolfo Houston edited this page 2025-01-18 08:33:54 +08:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant market show in Las Vegas luxury jets are drawing buyers with their sleek shapes, plush cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to showcase unique forms of air travel fuel deemed less damaging to the environment, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less glamorous meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have bowed to ecological pressure on air travel and dedicated to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that adopting sustainable fuel to suppress emissions could make organization jets more appealing to ecologically conscious buyers - especially corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The accessibility of less contaminating personal jets could also spare the abundant and popular the negative promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half Meghan over a recent 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 current waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our item is inedible."

Some of the other 79 aircraft on display screen 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 annual carbon emissions internationally, but can give off, on average, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has actually defended his periodic usage of personal jets to guarantee his household's security, and has stated that on the unusual occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say incidents such as the furore over his travel plan have added fresh difficulties for an industry already aiming to validate its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

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

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

But even an image with jets sporting stickers like "this airplane flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for going to airplanes - is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

Environmentalists and some analysts stay doubtful that biojetfuels, normally mixed 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 company jets look eco-friendly," said air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from service jet operators for renewable fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow stated.

World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, might broaden production approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and experts are likewise seeing more interest from clients who wish to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

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

"At the end of the day, I think that price, cost per hour, variety, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I think people 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)