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 industry show in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing purchasers with their sleek silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to display unique types of aviation fuel deemed less hazardous to the climate, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less glamorous meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting sustainable fuel to suppress emissions could make service jets more attractive to ecologically mindful buyers - particularly corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The availability of less contaminating personal jets could likewise spare the abundant and popular the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a recent private jet trip to southern France.

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

The latest waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief commercial officer of manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.

"All of our item is inedible."

Some of the other 79 airplane on display screen are anticipated 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 yearly carbon emissions internationally, but can discharge, usually, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has safeguarded his occasional usage of private jets to ensure his family's security, and has actually said that on the uncommon celebrations 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 an industry already aiming to validate its contribution to cutting corporate costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving making use of personal jets are unfortunate when you consider that our market has delivered fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will help the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to industry data, billionaires only have a 19% business jet ownership rate.

But even an image makeover - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on renewable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for checking out aircrafts - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some experts remain skeptical that biojetfuels, normally blended 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 company jets look eco-friendly," stated aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from business jet operators for sustainable fuels now far exceeds 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 approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and specialists are likewise seeing more interest from customers who wish to buy carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.

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

"At the end of the day, I think that rate, cost per hour, range, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) motorist. 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)