Concorde’s safer tyres unveiled

A new radial tyre for Concorde, designed to avoid a repeat of last year’s Paris disaster, was unveiled today.

Michelin built the tyres at the request of the supersonic airliner’s manufacturer, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.

All British Airways and Air France Concorde’s have been grounded since the crash that killed all 109 people on board.

Investigators believe the crash was caused when a metal strip on the Charles de Gaulle airport runway gashed one of the Air France Concorde’s tyres, sending rubber debris hurtling toward fuel tanks and triggering a fuel leak and fire that brought the plane down.

Michelin said today that its new tyre, dubbed NZG for Near Zero Growth, uses a special reinforcement material. ‘‘This offers higher damage resistance and substantial weight gains, two key qualities in the field of aviation,’’ the French company said.

Officials said the new tyre remained intact when passed over a 12 inch metal strip at 236 mph in laboratory tests.

A British-French working group reported encouraging results last month on the tests of the new radial tyre. Engineers are also working on new methods to protect the Concorde’s fuel tank from ruptures.

Both BA and Air France hope to have their Concorde fleets back in the air by the autumn.