Piaggio Aerospace is back and determined to make its P180 Avanti a stateside success again.
That is the message from new chief executive Giovanni Tomassini, appointed in July by new Turkish owner Baykar, after its acquisition ended the Italian airframer’s seven years of bankruptcy protection limbo.
North America had been a strong territory for Piaggio since the original version of the distinctive twin-pusher turboprop entered service in 1991, with almost half the 210-strong Avanti fleet based there. Fractional start-up Avantair, which collapsed in 2013, was one of its biggest customers with a fleet of over 50 aircraft.
Now Piaggio – which is displaying an Avanti Evo on the NBAA static line – believes the new ownership will give potential customers confidence in the brand after the long spell of uncertainty, during which the company struggled to invest and was forced to shutter its West Palm Beach-based sales and support subsidiary.
“The P180 has a great future on the civil market,” says Tomassini, who has been with Piaggio since 2009. “The market has been waiting for stability. We are now able to say: we are here, and you will be buying something that is guaranteed for years to come.”
Despite being a 40-year-old design – Piaggio conceived the original Avanti in the early 1980s – the nine-seat type has been through two major updates and resembles no other in-production aircraft with its rear-facing engines and canards.
It remains the fastest turboprop on the market, and one of the quietest. “It really has no competitors,” says Tomassini. “It is fast, efficient, and the pressurised cabin is fantastically comfortable, with the configuration of the aircraft reducing the cabin noise.”
The fact that the Avanti is a turboprop boosts its appeal to some corporate customers – including fractional owners – conscious of negative publicity that can come from being associated with a jet. “The Avanti gives you a lower public profile, while still being fantastic to fly,” he says.
Piaggio has a backlog of 18 Avanti Evos. Although most of these have been ordered by Italian government departments or agencies, four are destined for private customers, and Tomassini says “discussions” are active for sales of another seven.
He stresses that, despite the limitations of the government-overseen special administration – which began in 2018 with the exit of former majority shareholder, Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala – Piaggio has continued to improve the product and delivered four units to US private customers during the period.
Baykar has suggested a new version of the Avanti could be on the cards, 11 years after the introduction of the third generation Evo. Tomassini says details are being worked out, but it is likely to include a new cockpit design with improved avionics.
A priority for Tomassini will be restoring a global support network, including in the USA. Ultimately, he wants to reinstate a Piaggio-owned operation in the country, but stresses that “we intend to proceed gradually”, most likely by working initially with aftersales partners.
Baykar emerged as a surprise buyer for Piaggio late last year, after it appeared that all hope of finding a rescuer for the Villanova D’Albenga-based business had been lost. Piaggio had been kept alive largely by government contracts and its military engine parts manufacturing and maintenance operation.
While the commercial and special mission markets for the P180 remain important, Baykar says it will use the modern facilities one hour’s drive along the coast from Genoa to assemble unmanned air vehicles, as part of a new joint venture with Leonardo, and to create a “centre of excellence for aircraft and engine maintenance”.
Tomassini, whose career included spells with Aermacchi and in the electronics sector, says the confirmation of the takeover was “one of the best news of my working life” and the “best option” for Piaggio.
He adds: “Baykar is an engineering company devoted to innovation and quality workmanship. Piaggio too has a lot of competences including on engineering. Together we can develop even better products and increase our market share. I see a bright future.”
This includes the engines business, where Piaggio’s customers include Safran and Pratt & Whitney. “Although we didn’t lose any customers during the special administration, we were unable to commit capital expenditure to increase production. But now we are ready to ramp up,” he says.
Although he acknowledges reviving a largely dormant supply chain will be a challenge, Tomassini is also confident Piaggio can increase annual Avanti production from a tiny handful during the administration period to 25 or 30 aircraft by 2030.
While the government market in Italy and the rest of Europe will account for around four or five aircraft a year, he expects North America to re-emerge as the biggest Avanti territory.
“The market loves the P180. The real priority is to conquer back our customer support,” he says. “We have been through a very disrupted situation, but we have a great opportunity.”
