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

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant market show in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing buyers with their smooth shapes, luxurious cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to display novel types of air travel fuel considered less hazardous to the environment, from used cooking oil to the clearly less glamorous meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airlines, have actually bowed to environmental pressure on aviation and devoted to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that embracing eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions might make organization jets more attractive to ecologically mindful purchasers - especially corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.

The accessibility of less polluting 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 recent private jet trip to southern France.

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

The most current waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food market," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our product is inedible."

A few of the other 79 airplane on screen are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel blends expected to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions globally, but can discharge, on average, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has defended his periodic use of personal jets to ensure his family's safety, and has actually said that on the unusual events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state events such as the furore over his schedule have actually added fresh obstacles for an industry already striving to validate its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including using private jets are regrettable when you consider that our industry has delivered fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel use will help the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to market data, billionaires only have a 19% organization 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 please all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some experts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, generally combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant effect on public perceptions about high-end travel.

"No quantity of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make business jets look eco-friendly," said aviation expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from organization jet operators for sustainable fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow stated.

World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, might broaden production up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter companies and specialists are likewise 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 role in a business jet utilization study his company recently finished for a Fortune 500 company.

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