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 biggest market show in Las Vegas high-end jets are drawing buyers with their sleek silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to showcase novel kinds of air travel fuel deemed less damaging to the environment, from used cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have bowed to environmental pressure on aviation and devoted to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to curb emissions could make company jets more attractive to ecologically mindful purchasers - especially corporations facing questions over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The accessibility of less polluting private jets could likewise spare the abundant and popular the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half Meghan over a current private jet trip to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on display 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 business officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our product is inedible."

A few of the other 79 aircraft on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions globally, however can give off, usually, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has protected his occasional use of private jets to ensure his household's safety, and has stated that on the rare celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say such as the furore over his schedule have actually included fresh difficulties for a market already striving to validate its contribution to cutting corporate costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving the use of personal jets are unfortunate when you consider that our industry has delivered fuel performance enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to market information, billionaires only have a 19% service jet ownership rate.

But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for checking out planes - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet event.

Environmentalists and some experts stay skeptical that biojetfuels, generally blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial effect on public understandings about high-end travel.

"No amount of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make business jets look eco-friendly," said aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from company jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far goes beyond 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 as much as 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and consultants are also seeing more interest from customers 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 played a role in a corporate jet usage study his company recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.

"At the end of the day, I believe that price, expense per hour, variety, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I think people are becoming more conscious of the sustainability of operations and how it affects the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)