By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant market program in Las Vegas luxury jets are tempting buyers with their sleek silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their usage of alternative fuels.
Fuel manufacturers and are eager to display unique kinds of aviation fuel considered less hazardous to the climate, from used cooking oil to the definitely less glamorous meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airline companies, have actually bowed to ecological pressure on air travel and devoted to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.
Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions might make company jets more appealing to environmentally mindful purchasers - particularly corporations facing questions over sustainability from investors or green project groups.
The availability of less contaminating private jets could also spare the abundant and popular the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan over a recent private jet journey 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 industry," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.
"All of our product is inedible."
Some of the other 79 aircraft on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel mixes expected to be pumped at the program.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets represent less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions globally, but can discharge, on average, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter company Victor.
Prince Harry has actually defended his occasional usage of private jets to guarantee his family's safety, and has actually stated that on the rare celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers say occurrences such as the furore over his schedule have included fresh difficulties for a market already aiming to justify its contribution to cutting corporate costs.
"Incidents of flight shaming including making use of personal jets are unfortunate when you think about that our market has actually provided fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel use will assist the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to market data, billionaires only have a 19% company jet ownership rate.
But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this airplane flies on renewable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for checking out planes - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.
Environmentalists and some experts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, usually mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable effect on public perceptions about luxury travel.
"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make business jets look eco-friendly," stated aviation expert Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from company 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 broaden production approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter companies and experts are also seeing more interest from clients who wish to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions contributed in a business jet usage study his company recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.
"At the end of the day, I believe that rate, expense per hour, variety, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) driver. But I think people are ending up being more aware of the sustainability of operations and how it affects 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
Noreen Cruse edited this page 2025-03-07 18:11:41 +08:00