By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant industry show in Las Vegas high-end jets are enticing purchasers with their smooth silhouettes, plush cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.
Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to showcase novel kinds of air travel fuel considered less harmful to the environment, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less attractive meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airline companies, have acquiesced environmental pressure on air travel and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.
Their hope is that adopting renewable fuel to suppress emissions could make service jets more appealing to ecologically conscious purchasers - specifically corporations facing questions over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.
The availability of less contaminating private jets could also spare the rich and popular the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan over a recent personal jet journey to southern France.
Five Gulfstream jets on display in Las Vegas are utilizing California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.
The most recent waste-based fuels of "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food industry," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial 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 are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the program.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions internationally, however can produce, on average, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.
Prince Harry has actually protected his occasional use 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 state occurrences such as the furore over his schedule have actually added fresh challenges for a market already aiming to validate its contribution to cutting business expenses.
"Incidents of flight shaming including using private jets are regrettable when you consider that our industry has provided fuel efficiency improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel use will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to market information, billionaires only 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 including alternative fuel pumps for going to aircrafts - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.
Environmentalists and some analysts remain skeptical that biojetfuels, usually blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant impact on public perceptions about luxury travel.
"No quantity of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make business 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 could drive future production, Sherbacow said.
World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, could expand production approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter companies and specialists are likewise seeing more interest from customers who wish to purchase carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions contributed in a corporate jet utilization research study his company recently finished for a Fortune 500 company.
"At the end of the day, I think that price, expense per hour, variety, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I think people are ending up being more aware of the sustainability of operations and how it affects the planet." (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
Darryl Bosanquet edited this page 2025-01-12 03:38:31 +08:00