By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry show in Las Vegas high-end jets are enticing buyers with their sleek shapes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their usage of alternative fuels.
Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to display novel forms of air travel fuel deemed less harmful to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the distinctly less glamorous meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airlines, have acquiesced ecological pressure on aviation and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.
Their hope is that adopting renewable fuel to suppress emissions might make organization jets more appealing to ecologically conscious purchasers - specifically corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.
The availability of less polluting private jets might also spare the rich and popular the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a current personal jet trip to southern France.
Five Gulfstream jets on screen in Las Vegas are using California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.
The latest waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, primary commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.
"All of our item is inedible."
Some of the other 79 airplane on screen are anticipated 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 overall yearly carbon emissions internationally, but can give off, typically, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.
Prince Harry has actually safeguarded his occasional usage of personal jets to ensure his household's security, and has actually 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 travel plan have included fresh difficulties for a market already striving to validate its contribution to cutting business costs.
"Incidents of flight shaming involving the use of personal jets are unfortunate when you think about that our market has actually delivered fuel performance improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the market make inroads with corporations and rich buyers. According to market information, billionaires only have a 19% business jet ownership rate.
But even an image transformation - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for visiting planes - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet event.
Environmentalists and some analysts stay hesitant that biojetfuels, normally blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable effect on public perceptions about high-end travel.
"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization jets look eco-friendly," said air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from company jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far exceeds supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow stated.
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 clients who wish to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions contributed in a corporate jet usage study his company just recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.
"At the end of the day, I believe that price, expense per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) motorist. But I believe people are becoming more familiar with the sustainability of operations and how it affects the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)
