By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest industry show in Las Vegas high-end jets are drawing buyers with their smooth shapes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.
Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to showcase novel forms of aviation fuel deemed less hazardous to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the definitely less attractive meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airlines, have actually bowed to environmental pressure on air travel and devoted to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.
Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions could make company jets more attractive to environmentally mindful buyers - specifically corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.
The availability of less contaminating personal jets could also spare the abundant and well-known the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half Meghan over a current personal jet journey to southern France.
Five Gulfstream jets on screen in Las Vegas are using California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.
The current waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food market," said Bryan Sherbacow, primary commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel 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 annual carbon emissions worldwide, but can emit, typically, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.
Prince Harry has actually defended his occasional usage of personal jets to ensure his family's security, and has actually said that on the rare celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers state events such as the furore over his travel plan have actually included fresh obstacles for an industry already striving to validate its contribution to cutting corporate costs.
"Incidents of flight shaming including making use of personal jets are unfortunate when you consider that our industry has delivered fuel performance enhancements 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 rich buyers. According to industry information, billionaires just have a 19% service jet ownership rate.
But even an image makeover - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for going to planes - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.
Environmentalists and some analysts remain doubtful that biojetfuels, generally combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant impact on public perceptions about luxury travel.
"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel analyst Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from organization jet operators for renewable fuels now far surpasses supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow stated.
World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of at its California plant, could broaden production as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter business and specialists are likewise seeing more interest from consumers 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 study his business just recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.
"At the end of the day, I think that price, cost per hour, variety, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe individuals are ending up being more knowledgeable about 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
jodylowrie902 edited this page 2025-01-12 13:38:20 +08:00