By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest market program in Las Vegas luxury jets are drawing purchasers with their streamlined shapes, plush cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.
Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to display novel forms of air travel fuel considered less damaging to the environment, from used cooking oil to the clearly less glamorous meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airline companies, have actually bowed to ecological pressure on air travel and committed to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.
Their hope is that adopting sustainable fuel to curb emissions might make organization jets more appealing to ecologically mindful purchasers - specifically corporations facing concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.
The availability of less polluting private jets might also spare the rich 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 jets on screen in Las Vegas are utilizing California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.
The newest waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food market," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief business officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.
"All of our item is inedible."
A few of the other 79 aircraft on screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the program.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets represent less than 0.1% of overall yearly carbon emissions globally, but can release, usually, 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 defended his occasional use of private jets to guarantee his household's safety, and has stated that on the unusual events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers state events such as the furore over his itinerary have actually added fresh difficulties for an industry currently making every effort to justify its contribution to cutting business expenses.
"Incidents of flight shaming involving making use of personal jets are unfortunate when you think about that our industry has actually delivered fuel efficiency improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel use will assist the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to market data, billionaires just have a 19% business jet ownership rate.
But even an image transformation - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for checking out airplanes - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.
Environmentalists and some experts stay doubtful that biojetfuels, typically mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial effect on public perceptions about luxury travel.
"No amount of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization jets look eco-friendly," said air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from business jet operators for sustainable fuels now far exceeds supply and their interest could 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 companies and consultants are likewise seeing more interest from clients who want to purchase 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 corporate jet usage study his company recently finished 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) driver. But I think individuals are ending up being more knowledgeable about the sustainability of operations and how it affects the planet." (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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