Goodyear lands three aircraft tire contracts

PARIS (June 17)—Goodyear has won three major long-term contracts to supply bias-ply aircraft tires, while the company continues to shift resources to and emphasize its radial product line. Goodyear announced at the Paris Air Show it had secured orders for bias tires from FedEx Corp. for its 350-plus jet fleet, from ExpressJet Holding for its 200 aircraft and American Airlines for its 362 Boeing MD-80 jets. However, Goodyear focused on radials at its exhibit at the June 15-22 show at Paris' Le Bourget airport, emphasizing the cost-saving benefits of radials vs. bias: 10-20 percent lighter; lower rolling resistance; and longer tread life. Radials account for only about 17 percent of the global aircraft tire market, Goodyear said. The Russian carrier Aeroflot recently selected Goodyear radials for its new fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft, according to Donald Roulett, global marketing manager for Goodyear aviation tires.