By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry show in Las Vegas luxury jets are tempting buyers with their streamlined silhouettes, plush cabins - and increasingly, their usage of alternative fuels.
Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to display unique forms of air travel fuel considered less damaging to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the clearly less waste.
Business jet operators, like airline companies, have acquiesced environmental pressure on air travel and dedicated to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.
Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions could make organization jets more appealing to environmentally mindful purchasers - specifically corporations facing questions over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.
The accessibility of less contaminating private jets could also spare the rich and famous the negative promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half Meghan over a recent private jet trip to southern France.
Five Gulfstream jets on display screen in Las Vegas are using California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.
The current waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food market," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer 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 eco-friendly fuel mixes expected to be pumped at the program.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions globally, but can release, usually, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter company Victor.
Prince Harry has actually protected his occasional use of personal jets to ensure his household's safety, and has actually said that on the rare occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers say occurrences such as the furore over his schedule have added fresh challenges for a market already making every effort to justify its contribution to cutting business expenses.
"Incidents of flight shaming involving using personal jets are regrettable when you think about that our market has delivered fuel performance enhancements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel use will assist the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to industry data, billionaires just have a 19% company jet ownership rate.
But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for going to aircrafts - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.
Environmentalists and some analysts stay doubtful that biojetfuels, generally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant effect on public understandings about luxury travel.
"No amount of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make business jets look eco-friendly," stated aviation expert Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from company jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far surpasses supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow said.
World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, might expand production approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter companies and specialists are also seeing more interest from customers who desire to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions played a function in a corporate jet utilization study his business recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.
"At the end of the day, I think that rate, expense per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe people are ending up being more knowledgeable about the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the world." (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
Tina Skemp edited this page 2025-01-12 02:09:34 +08:00