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 streamlined silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.
Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to showcase unique kinds of air travel fuel deemed less damaging to the climate, from used cooking oil to the definitely less glamorous meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airlines, have bowed to environmental pressure on air travel and dedicated to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.
Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to suppress emissions could make organization jets more attractive to ecologically conscious purchasers - particularly corporations facing questions over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.
The availability of less polluting private jets could also spare the abundant and popular the negative promotion by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a recent private jet journey to southern France.
Five Gulfstream jets on display in Las Vegas are using California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.
The most recent waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.
"All of our product is inedible."
A few of the other 79 aircraft on display screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel mixes expected to be pumped at the program.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions globally, but can emit, on average, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter company Victor.
Prince Harry has defended his periodic use of private jets to guarantee his household's security, and has stated that on the unusual occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers state incidents such as the furore over his schedule have actually added fresh challenges for a market already making every effort to validate its contribution to cutting corporate costs.
"Incidents of flight shaming including the use of private jets are regrettable when you think about that our market has actually provided fuel performance enhancements of 40% over the past 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel use will help the industry make inroads with corporations and rich purchasers. According to industry data, billionaires just have a 19% organization jet ownership rate.
But even an image makeover - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for visiting airplanes - is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.
Environmentalists and some analysts remain hesitant that biojetfuels, usually blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial effect on public understandings about luxury travel.
"No amount of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization jets look eco-friendly," stated 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, could expand production as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter business and consultants are also seeing more interest from clients who desire to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions played a role in a corporate jet usage study his company just recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.
"At the end of the day, I think that rate, cost per hour, variety, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe individuals are becoming more knowledgeable about 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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