The Michelin Air X radial tyres will be fitted on Japanese All Nippon Airways’ (ANA) Airbus A380 aircrafts – the tyres feature Michelin’s Near Zero Growth (NZG) technology designed to ensure minimal tyre growth.ANA has purchased three A380 aircrafts, the first of which will be introduced on new Narita- Honolulu route in May 2019.
Aircraft tyres have very high inflation pressures (20 bar) compared to passenger car tyres (2.5 bar), to carry and transport the high aircraft loads. The aircraft tyre can ‘grow’ due to the high centrifugal forcesat high take-off and landing speeds. NZG minimises tyre diameter growth, to enable durable tyres that are resistant to foreign object damage. The combination of Michelin Air X tyres and NZG technology is expected to reduce overall operational costs compared to a standard radial tyre, achieved through about 30% more landings, improved fuel efficiency and exceptional damage resistance.The NZG technology also increases tyre robustness and reduces fuel consumption, leading to lower CO2 emissions.
This marks the first flight by the major Japanese airline using the Airbus A380, which is the world’s largest double-decker commercial airplane with 520 passenger seats. The new ANA fleet was named “Flying Sea Turtle” – turtles are loved in Hawaii as sacred creatures – and all 3 aircrafts feature paintings of the sea, sky and sunset of Hawaii.
Michelin is a leading French tyre company headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, dedicated to developing, enhancing and sustaining high-technology materials that serve the mobility industry. Michelin has more than 117,400 employees and operates 121 production facilities in 17 countries worldwide, which together produced some 190 million tyres in 2017. The Michelin Group has R&D Centres in Europe, North America and Asia.