Gulf Air Chooses Michelin as Exclusive Tire Supplier and strengthens Long-term Relationship

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has chosen Michelin to equip every aircraft type within its fleet including its brand new fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner’s, Airbus 320neo’s and Airbus 321neo’s.

This is the continuity of a long lasting and successful relationship between the two companies. Gulf Air has already experienced Michelin tires on its Airbus fleet for the last decade. The complete revamp of Gulf Air’s new fleet, part of its 5 yearlong strategy launched in 2018, is the perfect opportunity to introduce the “Michelin Air X” tire which features the Michelin patented Near Zero Growth technology.

NZG technology is designed to ensure minimal tire growth. Aircraft tires have very high inflation pressures (20 bar) compared to other tires, such as passenger car tires (2.5 bar), to carry the high aircraft weights. At the high take-off and landing speeds an aircraft tire can ‘grow’ due to the high centrifugal forces. NZG minimizes tire diameter growth, and consequently tires become more durable and resistance to foreign object damage.

The combination of Michelin Air X tires and NZG technology reduces overall operational costs compared to a standard radial tire. This result is achieved through an increased number of landings (up to 30% more), improved fuel efficiency and exceptional damage resistance. NZG technology also increases tire robustness and reduces fuel consumption, leading to lower CO2 emissions.

Gulf Air has already started to operate its new fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus 320neo’s that are equipped with Michelin tires, and will apply them on their Airbus 321neo which is scheduled to begin arriving in early 2020.