By Allison Lampert
LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest market program in Las Vegas high-end jets are enticing buyers with their smooth shapes, plush cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.
Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to showcase unique kinds of air travel fuel deemed less hazardous to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.
Business jet operators, like airlines, have bowed to environmental pressure on air travel and dedicated to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.
Their hope is that embracing sustainable fuel to curb emissions could make company jets more attractive to ecologically mindful purchasers - particularly corporations facing questions over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.
The availability of less polluting personal jets could also spare the abundant and famous the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a current personal jet journey to southern France.
Five Gulfstream jets on display screen in Las Vegas are using California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.
The most recent waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, primary business 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 are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel mixes expected to be pumped at the program.
FLIGHT SHAMING
Private jets represent less than 0.1% of overall yearly carbon emissions worldwide, however can release, on average, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.
Prince Harry has safeguarded his periodic usage of personal jets to guarantee his family's security, and has actually said that on the unusual events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.
But planemakers state events such as the furore over his itinerary have actually added fresh challenges for a market currently aiming to validate its contribution to cutting corporate costs.
"Incidents of flight shaming including using private jets are unfortunate when you consider that our industry has actually provided fuel performance enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.
Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel use will help the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to market data, billionaires just have a 19% organization jet ownership rate.
But even an image makeover - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for checking out planes - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet event.
Environmentalists and some analysts remain skeptical that biojetfuels, normally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable effect on public perceptions about high-end travel.
"No quantity of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," said aviation expert Richard Aboulafia.
Demand from business jet operators for renewable fuels now far surpasses supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow said.
World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, might broaden production up to 150 million gallons by 2022.
Corporate charter companies and consultants are also seeing more interest from clients who desire to buy carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.
Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions contributed in a corporate jet usage study his business recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.
"At the end of the day, I believe that price, cost per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I think people are becoming more knowledgeable about the sustainability of operations and how it affects the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)
