Paris Air Show sees tire deals rolled out

Paris – With the Paris Air Show, 15-21 June, now underway in the French capital, new deals between aircraft industry manufacturers and tire-makers have been announced.

Dunlop Aircraft Tyres has been selected to provide tires for a new turboprop regional airliner being developed by Chinese manufacturer AVIC Aircraft Xi’an Branch.

Each Modern Ark 700 aircraft (MA700) will require six tires – two for the nosewheels and four for the mainwheels –  and the manufacturer projects worldwide sales of approximately 800 aircraft.

The 70-seat aircraft is due to make its first flight in 2017 ahead of entry into service in 2019 with launch customers Okay Airways and Joy Air.

“Dunlop’s track record, particularly within the regional turboprop marketplace, means we can depend on the company to deliver for us and our customers,” said Wang Bing, director of programme management department at AVIC Aircraft Xi’an Branch.

Dunlop also announced on 16 June that it had clinched a three-year deal to support Garuda Indonesia’s fleet of Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen regional jets.

The airline, said Dunlop, operates 15 of the aircraft and has three more on order for delivery later this year.

Each aircraft is fitted with six wheels and Dunlop estimates that its contract with the airline’s maintenance company, GMF AeroAsia, will be worth in excess of $3 million (€2.66 million).

Meanwhile, French tire-maker Michelin announced  that it was gearing up for this year’s show, building on the previous year’s achievements in gaining certification for the Boeing 737 Max7 and Max8.

Late last year an Airbus A350-900 of Qatar Airways made its first commercial flight sporting Michelin Air X tires, equipped with NZG tech­nology.

The NZG technology, says Michelin, extends the tire’s service life through the use of a composite made of nylon and aramid fibres.

According to the French tire-maker, the reinforced fibres reduce the extension of the tire carcass due to the effects of pressure and centrifugal force on take-off to less than 3 percent com­pared to the 8 percent observed on a nylon radial tire and 12 percent for a conventional cross-ply tire.