By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest market show in Las Vegas high-end jets are enticing purchasers with their shapes, plush cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.
Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display novel types of aviation fuel deemed less harmful to the environment, from used cooking oil to the definitely less glamorous meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airline companies, have acquiesced ecological pressure on aviation and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.
Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions might make organization jets more appealing to ecologically conscious buyers - particularly corporations facing concerns over sustainability from investors or green project groups.
The accessibility of less polluting private jets could also spare the rich and famous the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his better half Meghan over a current personal jet journey to southern 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 byproducts of the food market," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.
"All of our item is inedible."
Some of the other 79 aircraft on screen are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the program.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions internationally, but can emit, on average, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.
Prince Harry has actually protected his occasional use of personal jets to guarantee his family's safety, and has actually stated that on the rare events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers state occurrences such as the furore over his travel plan have actually added fresh challenges for a market currently striving to justify its contribution to cutting business expenses.
"Incidents of flight shaming including making use of private jets are regrettable when you consider that our market has actually delivered fuel effectiveness 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 rich buyers. According to market data, billionaires only have a 19% organization jet ownership rate.
But even an image transformation - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for going to planes - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.
Environmentalists and some experts remain hesitant that biojetfuels, generally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial effect on public understandings about luxury travel.
"No quantity of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," stated aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from company jet operators for eco-friendly 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 expand production as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter business and consultants are also seeing more interest from clients who desire to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions played a role in a corporate jet utilization research study his business just recently finished for a Fortune 500 company.
"At the end of the day, I think that price, cost per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) motorist. But I think individuals are ending up being more familiar with the sustainability of operations and how it impacts 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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