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 most significant market program in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing buyers with their sleek silhouettes, plush cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display unique types of aviation fuel deemed less hazardous to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the noticeably less glamorous meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have acquiesced environmental pressure on air travel and devoted to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that embracing sustainable fuel to suppress emissions could make company jets more appealing to ecologically conscious buyers - particularly corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

The accessibility of less polluting private jets could also spare the abundant and popular the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his better half Meghan over a current private 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 business officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our product is inedible."

A few of the other 79 on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel mixes expected to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions worldwide, but can produce, usually, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually safeguarded his occasional usage of private jets to guarantee his family's security, and has said that on the uncommon celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state incidents such as the furore over his itinerary have actually added fresh difficulties for an industry already aiming to justify its contribution to cutting corporate costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming including making use of private jets are unfortunate when you consider that our market has actually provided fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will help the market make inroads with corporations and rich purchasers. According to market information, billionaires only have a 19% company jet ownership rate.

But even an image makeover - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for checking out airplanes - is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some experts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, usually blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant effect on public understandings about luxury travel.

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

Demand from organization jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far goes beyond 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 up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and experts are also seeing more interest from clients who want to buy carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions played a role in a business jet usage study his company 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) driver. But I believe people 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)