By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest industry show in Las Vegas luxury jets are luring purchasers with their smooth silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and progressively, their usage of alternative fuels.
Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to display unique types of air travel fuel deemed less damaging to the environment, from used cooking oil to the definitely less attractive meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airline companies, have actually acquiesced environmental pressure on air travel and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.
Their hope is that adopting renewable fuel to curb emissions could make company jets more attractive to ecologically mindful purchasers - particularly corporations facing concerns over sustainability from investors or green project groups.
The availability of less contaminating personal jets could also spare the rich and famous the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half Meghan over a current personal jet trip to southern France.
Five Gulfstream jets on display in Las Vegas are utilizing 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 utilized 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 eco-friendly fuel blends expected to be pumped at the show.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall yearly carbon emissions worldwide, however can release, usually, 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 protected his occasional usage of personal jets to ensure his family's security, and has said that on the uncommon celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers say occurrences such as the furore over his itinerary have included fresh obstacles for an industry already striving to validate its contribution to cutting corporate costs.
"Incidents of flight shaming including making use of private jets are unfortunate when you consider that our industry has provided fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier thinks fuel usage will assist the market make inroads with corporations and rich purchasers. According to market information, billionaires only have a 19% business jet ownership rate.
But even an image makeover - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for visiting airplanes - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.
Environmentalists and some analysts stay skeptical that biojetfuels, normally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant impact on public understandings about high-end travel.
"No quantity of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make company jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from service jet operators for sustainable fuels now far surpasses supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow said.
World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, could broaden production up to 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter business and consultants are likewise seeing more interest from customers who want to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions contributed in a business jet utilization study his company just recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.
"At the end of the day, I think that cost, expense per hour, variety, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) motorist. But I think individuals are becoming more familiar with the sustainability of operations and how it affects the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)
1
Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show
Selina Alber edited this page 4 months ago