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 greatest market program in Las Vegas high-end jets are drawing purchasers with their smooth shapes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to showcase unique kinds of air travel fuel considered less hazardous to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the definitely less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have bowed to ecological pressure on aviation and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions could make service jets more appealing to ecologically mindful purchasers - especially corporations facing questions over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The schedule of less contaminating personal jets could also spare the abundant and popular the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his better half Meghan over a recent personal jet trip to France.

Five Gulfstream jets on display in Las Vegas are utilizing California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.

The most recent waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food market," stated Bryan Sherbacow, primary commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer 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 screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel mixes expected to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions worldwide, however can discharge, usually, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has defended his occasional usage of private jets to ensure his family's safety, and has stated that on the rare events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say incidents such as the furore over his itinerary have included fresh difficulties for a market already making every effort to validate its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving making use of private jets are regrettable when you consider that our market has actually provided fuel efficiency enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel use will assist the market make inroads with corporations and rich purchasers. According to industry information, billionaires only have a 19% service jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this airplane flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for checking out planes - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain hesitant that biojetfuels, typically blended 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 business jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from organization jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow stated.

World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, might expand production as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and specialists are also seeing more interest from consumers who desire 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 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 individuals are ending up being more mindful of the sustainability of operations and how it affects the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)