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 luxury jets are with their smooth silhouettes, plush cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display novel types of aviation fuel considered less damaging to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions might make service jets more appealing to ecologically mindful buyers - particularly corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The schedule of less contaminating personal jets could likewise spare the abundant and well-known the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half Meghan over a recent personal jet trip to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on display 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," said Bryan Sherbacow, primary commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our item is inedible."

Some of the other 79 airplane on display screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel mixes expected to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total annual carbon emissions worldwide, however can emit, on average, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has defended his periodic use of private jets to guarantee his household's safety, and has actually 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 a market currently aiming to justify its contribution to cutting business costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving using private jets are unfortunate when you think about that our industry has actually provided fuel performance improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image makeover - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on renewable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for going to airplanes - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some experts stay hesitant that biojetfuels, typically combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant effect on public perceptions about high-end travel.

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

Demand from company jet operators for sustainable fuels now far goes beyond 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 up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and consultants are also seeing more interest from consumers who desire to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions contributed in a business jet usage research study his company recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.

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