By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant industry show in Las Vegas high-end jets are drawing buyers with their smooth silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and significantly, their usage of alternative fuels.
Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to showcase novel kinds of air travel fuel deemed less hazardous to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the definitely less attractive meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airlines, have actually acquiesced environmental pressure on aviation and dedicated to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.
Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions might make business jets more attractive to ecologically conscious buyers - specifically corporations facing questions over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.
The availability of less contaminating personal jets might also spare the rich and well-known the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his better half 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 byproducts of the food market," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.
"All of our item is inedible."
Some of the other 79 aircraft on display are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel blends expected to be pumped at the show.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets represent less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions globally, but can release, on average, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter company Victor.
Prince Harry has actually defended his periodic use of private jets to ensure his household's security, and has actually said that on the unusual events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers say events such as the furore over his travel plan have actually added fresh challenges for a market already making every effort to validate its contribution to cutting business expenses.
"Incidents of flight shaming including making use of personal jets are regrettable when you consider that our industry has delivered fuel efficiency enhancements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel usage will help the industry make with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to market data, billionaires only have a 19% business 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 visiting airplanes - is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.
Environmentalists and some analysts stay hesitant that biojetfuels, normally combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial impact on public understandings about high-end travel.
"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," said aviation expert Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from business 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, could expand production approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter companies and consultants are also seeing more interest from customers 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 study his business recently finished for a Fortune 500 business.
"At the end of the day, I believe that rate, cost per hour, variety, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) driver. But I think individuals are ending up being more knowledgeable about 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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