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 biggest market show in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing purchasers with their smooth shapes, plush cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display unique types of air travel fuel considered less damaging to the climate, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less glamorous meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have acquiesced ecological pressure on aviation and committed to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

Their hope is that adopting sustainable fuel to suppress emissions might make company jets more attractive to environmentally conscious purchasers - specifically corporations facing concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The schedule of less polluting personal jets could also spare the rich and popular the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a recent private jet trip to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on screen in Las Vegas are using 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, primary industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.

"All of our item is inedible."

Some of the other 79 aircraft on screen are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions worldwide, but can produce, usually, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually 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 say occurrences such as the furore over his travel plan have actually included fresh challenges for a market already striving to validate its contribution to cutting business costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming including the use of private jets are regrettable when you think about that our market has delivered fuel effectiveness enhancements of 40% over the past 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and . According to industry information, billionaires just have a 19% company jet ownership rate.

But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for going to planes - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some experts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, usually combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial effect on public perceptions about high-end travel.

"No quantity of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from company jet operators for renewable fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow said.

World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, might broaden production up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and experts are likewise seeing more interest from clients who desire to purchase carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions contributed in a corporate jet utilization study his business recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.

"At the end of the day, I believe that cost, cost per hour, range, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I think people are ending up being more knowledgeable about the sustainability of operations and how it affects the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)