By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry show in Las Vegas high-end jets are enticing purchasers with their smooth shapes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.
Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to display unique forms of aviation fuel considered less harmful to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the distinctly less glamorous meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airline companies, have bowed to ecological pressure on air travel and devoted to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.
Their hope is that adopting sustainable fuel to suppress emissions might make service jets more appealing to environmentally conscious purchasers - particularly questions over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.
The availability of less polluting private jets might likewise spare the rich and popular the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a current personal jet journey 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 byproducts of the food market," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief commercial 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 aircraft on display are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel blends expected to be pumped at the show.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets represent less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions worldwide, but can discharge, on average, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.
Prince Harry has defended his periodic usage of personal jets to guarantee his household's security, and has said that on the rare occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers say occurrences such as the furore over his itinerary have actually added fresh obstacles for a market already making every effort to validate its contribution to cutting business costs.
"Incidents of flight shaming involving using private jets are regrettable when you think about that our industry has provided fuel effectiveness enhancements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel use will help the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to market information, billionaires only have a 19% business jet ownership rate.
But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for visiting aircrafts - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.
Environmentalists and some analysts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, generally combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial influence on public understandings about luxury travel.
"No quantity of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make company jets look eco-friendly," stated aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from business jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far surpasses supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow said.
World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, could broaden production approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter companies and experts are likewise seeing more interest from consumers 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 research study his business just recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.
"At the end of the day, I believe that rate, cost per hour, variety, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) driver. But I think individuals are ending up being more familiar with the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)
1
Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show
angelianisbett edited this page 6 months ago