1 Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

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By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry program in Las Vegas high-end jets are enticing purchasers with their sleek shapes, plush cabins - and significantly, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display unique types of air travel fuel deemed less harmful to the climate, from used cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

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

Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to suppress emissions could make organization jets more attractive to ecologically mindful buyers - especially corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from or green campaign groups.

The accessibility of less polluting personal jets might likewise spare the abundant and well-known the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a recent 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 by-products of the food industry," said Bryan Sherbacow, primary industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.

"All of our product is inedible."

A few of the other 79 aircraft on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel blends expected to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions globally, but can produce, on average, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has actually protected his occasional usage of private jets to ensure his family's security, and has actually stated that on the rare celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say occurrences such as the furore over his schedule have added fresh difficulties for a market currently aiming to validate its contribution to cutting corporate costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming including the use of personal jets are unfortunate when you consider that our industry has actually provided fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel usage will help the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to market data, billionaires just have a 19% service jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this airplane flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for visiting airplanes - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, typically mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant influence on public understandings about high-end travel.

"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from business jet operators for sustainable fuels now far exceeds supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow said.

World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, could broaden production as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and experts are also seeing more interest from consumers who desire to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions played a function in a business jet utilization research study his business recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.

"At the end of the day, I believe that rate, expense per hour, variety, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe individuals are becoming more aware of the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)