By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest market program in Las Vegas luxury jets are tempting buyers with their smooth shapes, luxurious cabins - and progressively, their use of alternative fuels.
Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to showcase novel forms of air travel fuel deemed less damaging to the climate, from used cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airline companies, have actually acquiesced ecological pressure on air travel and committed to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.
Their hope is that embracing eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions could make service jets more appealing to environmentally mindful buyers - especially corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from investors or green project groups.
The accessibility of less polluting personal jets might also spare the abundant and well-known the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a recent personal jet trip to southern France.
Five jets on screen in Las Vegas are using California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.
The newest waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial 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 airplane on screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the program.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall yearly carbon emissions globally, however can release, typically, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.
Prince Harry has defended his occasional usage of private jets to ensure his family's security, and has said that on the uncommon 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 challenges for an industry already striving to validate its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.
"Incidents of flight shaming including the use of personal jets are regrettable when you consider that our market has delivered fuel performance improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will help the industry make inroads with corporations and rich purchasers. According to industry information, billionaires just have a 19% service 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 checking out aircrafts - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.
Environmentalists and some experts stay doubtful that biojetfuels, normally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant effect on public understandings about high-end travel.
"No amount of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization jets look eco-friendly," stated aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from organization 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, might expand production as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter business and specialists are also seeing more interest from customers who desire to buy carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions played a function in a business jet utilization study his business just recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.
"At the end of the day, I think that price, expense per hour, variety, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) driver. But I think people are becoming more aware of the sustainability of operations and how it impacts 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
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