When the rubber hits the runway

Aircraft tyres are big business

There’s no doubt about it. Tyres don’t get the recognition they deserve. Particularly aviation tyres. After all, the 22 tyres on an Airbus A380 have to hit the runway at between 135 knots, or 250 km/h, bearing a bit over 390 tonnes in weight (takeoff weight is actually 560 tonnes) and, along with the brakes and reverse thrust of course, bring it to a halt in around 1. 5 kilometres. Qantas says each tyre is changed after approximately 180 landings and its engineering team in Sydney can change one tyre in an hour. But at more than $5,000 a pop – or $110,000 for the set – they ain’t cheap.

What does all this have to do with Asia? Well, in September French tyre giant Michelin announced it is establishing a new company, MSAT – the Michelin (Shanghai) Aircraft Tire (as the Americans would spell it) Trading Co Ltd – to expand its aircraft tyre business in China. It said the new company was being launched to improve service levels and product availability for its aviation customers in China, where its clients include the likes of Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern, among others.