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 greatest market program in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing purchasers with their sleek shapes, plush cabins - and progressively, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to showcase unique kinds of aviation fuel deemed less harmful to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the noticeably 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 to 2005.

Their hope is that adopting renewable fuel to curb emissions might make business jets more appealing to environmentally mindful buyers - specifically corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

The availability of less contaminating private jets could also spare the rich and well-known the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a recent personal jet journey to southern France.

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

The most current waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food market," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial 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 anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall yearly carbon worldwide, however can release, on average, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has safeguarded his periodic usage of private jets to guarantee his household's safety, and has said that on the uncommon occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state incidents such as the furore over his travel plan have added fresh difficulties for a market already making every effort to validate its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

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

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel use will help the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to market data, billionaires only have a 19% business jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for going to airplanes - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some experts stay skeptical that biojetfuels, normally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial impact on public perceptions about luxury travel.

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

Demand from organization jet operators for eco-friendly 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, could expand production up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter companies and consultants are likewise seeing more interest from consumers 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 role in a business jet utilization research study his business recently finished for a Fortune 500 company.

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