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 streamlined shapes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their usage of alternative fuels.
Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to showcase novel kinds of air travel fuel deemed less hazardous to the environment, from used cooking oil to the distinctly less glamorous meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airlines, have actually acquiesced environmental pressure on air travel and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.
Their hope is that embracing eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions could make organization jets more appealing to ecologically mindful purchasers - especially corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.
The schedule of less contaminating personal jets might likewise spare the rich and well-known the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a recent personal jet journey to southern France.
Five Gulfstream jets on screen in Las Vegas are utilizing California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.
The current waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief business officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.
"All of our item is inedible."
A few of the other 79 airplane on display screen are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the program.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets represent less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions worldwide, however can emit, typically, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.
Prince Harry has protected his periodic usage of private jets to guarantee his family's security, and has actually said that on the unusual events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers state occurrences such as the furore over his schedule have included fresh difficulties for a market currently striving to justify its contribution to cutting business expenses.
"Incidents of flight shaming including the use of personal jets are regrettable when you consider that our industry has delivered fuel performance improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel use will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and rich buyers. According to industry information, billionaires only have a 19% service jet ownership rate.
But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers including 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 remain doubtful that biojetfuels, normally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant influence on public understandings about luxury travel.
"No quantity of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make business jets look eco-friendly," said air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from company jet operators for sustainable fuels now far exceeds supply and their interest might 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 and experts are likewise seeing more interest from customers who wish to buy carbon credits to balance out 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 just recently finished for a Fortune 500 company.
"At the end of the day, I believe that price, cost per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) motorist. But I think individuals are ending up being more familiar with the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the world." (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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