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Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

stephainegunte edited this page 2025-01-12 14:54:12 +08:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest market program in Las Vegas high-end jets are tempting buyers with their sleek silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to showcase unique kinds of aviation fuel deemed less damaging to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the distinctly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have acquiesced environmental pressure on air travel and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions might make business jets more attractive to ecologically mindful purchasers - particularly corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The schedule of less polluting personal jets could also spare the rich and well-known the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a recent private jet trip to France.

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

The current waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food market," said Bryan Sherbacow, primary commercial 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 airplane on display are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel blends expected to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

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

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

But planemakers say occurrences such as the furore over his itinerary have actually added fresh obstacles for an industry already striving to justify its contribution to cutting business costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming including making use of private jets are regrettable when you consider that our industry has provided fuel efficiency improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to industry information, billionaires only have a 19% business jet ownership rate.

But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on renewable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for visiting planes - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

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

"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," said aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from business jet operators for renewable fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest might 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 companies and consultants are likewise 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, stated emissions played a role in a corporate jet utilization study his company just recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.

"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 believe people are ending up being more familiar with the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)