1 Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show
Elaine Rudduck edited this page 2025-01-11 20:29:44 +08:00


By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry show in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing purchasers with their streamlined silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and significantly, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to display novel kinds of aviation fuel considered less harmful to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the noticeably less attractive meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions might make business jets more appealing to ecologically mindful purchasers - specifically corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The accessibility of less contaminating private jets might likewise spare the abundant and famous the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a current personal jet trip to southern France.

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

The newest waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," said Bryan Sherbacow, primary commercial 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 aircraft on display screen are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel blends expected to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions worldwide, however can give off, on average, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has actually safeguarded his periodic usage of private jets to guarantee his household's safety, and has actually said that on the rare occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state events such as the furore over his itinerary have actually added fresh challenges for a market already aiming to justify its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving using private jets are unfortunate when you think about that our industry has actually provided fuel performance improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for visiting airplanes - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet event.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, usually blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable effect on public understandings about luxury travel.

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

Demand from organization 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, could expand production approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.

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

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

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