mission-biofuels-sdn.-bhd

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant market show in Las Vegas high-end jets are luring buyers with their smooth shapes, plush cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to display unique forms of aviation fuel deemed less harmful to the climate, from used cooking oil to the clearly less glamorous meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting renewable fuel to curb emissions could make business jets more attractive to environmentally mindful buyers - especially corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The accessibility of less contaminating private jets might likewise spare the abundant and well-known the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a recent 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 latest waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food market," stated Bryan Sherbacow, primary industrial 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 aircraft 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 yearly carbon emissions internationally, however can release, 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 actually defended his occasional usage of personal jets to guarantee his family's safety, and has said that on the rare occasions he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state occurrences 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 including using personal jets are unfortunate when you consider that our industry has actually provided fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel use will assist the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to market data, billionaires just have a 19% service jet ownership rate.

But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for checking out aircrafts - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain hesitant that biojetfuels, usually combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial impact on public understandings about luxury travel.

"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization jets look eco-friendly," said air travel analyst Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from organization jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far surpasses supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow stated.

World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, could broaden production up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter companies and experts are also seeing more interest from customers who desire to credits to offset emissions from their flights.

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

"At the end of the day, I think that cost, expense per hour, range, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) driver. 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)