By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant industry show in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing purchasers with their smooth silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their usage of alternative fuels.
Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to showcase novel types of aviation fuel deemed less hazardous to the environment, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less attractive meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airlines, have actually acquiesced environmental pressure on air travel and devoted to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.
Their hope is that embracing sustainable fuel to suppress emissions could make organization jets more appealing to environmentally conscious buyers - especially corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.
The accessibility of less polluting private jets could likewise spare the abundant and popular the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a current personal jet journey to southern France.
Five jets on display in Las Vegas are utilizing California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.
The latest waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, primary industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.
"All of our product is inedible."
Some of the other 79 aircraft on display are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel mixes expected to be pumped at the show.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets represent less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions globally, but can discharge, usually, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter company Victor.
Prince Harry has protected his occasional use of personal jets to ensure his family's safety, and has said that on the unusual occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers say events such as the furore over his schedule have added fresh difficulties for a market already making every effort to validate its contribution to cutting corporate costs.
"Incidents of flight shaming including making use of personal jets are unfortunate when you think about that our industry has provided fuel performance improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the market make inroads with corporations and rich purchasers. According to market data, billionaires only have a 19% service jet ownership rate.
But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for checking out airplanes - is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.
Environmentalists and some experts stay skeptical that biojetfuels, usually combined 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 organization jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel analyst Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from service jet operators for sustainable 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 broaden production as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter business and consultants are likewise seeing more interest from consumers who desire to purchase carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions contributed in a business jet utilization research study his business just recently finished for a Fortune 500 company.
"At the end of the day, I think that cost, expense per hour, variety, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) driver. But I believe individuals are becoming more familiar with 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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