Piaggio Aerospace is hailing its first North American order for the P180 Avanti Evo as a “symbolic and industrial milestone”. The deal for five of the latest version of its twin-pusher turboprop comes as the Italian manufacturer looks to bolster its military activities in the face of several years of stuttering business aviation sales, and three years after the collapse of its biggest Avanti customer, US fractional Avantair.
Piaggio announced the contract with charter and fractional operator West Coast Aviation Services – which includes an additional four options – on the last day of the NBAA business aviation convention in Orlando, on 3 November. The first aircraft – the example exhibited at the show – will be delivered to the Orange County, California-based company “immediately”, with subsequent shipments from the final quarter of next year. The USA is home to about half of Piaggio’s fleet, and at the time of its demise in 2013, Avantair operated more than 50 Avantis, with orders for around 40 more.
Speaking to FlightGlobal, Renato Vaghi, Piaggio’s new chief executive, says the deal is “a major milestone getting back into the USA, and also industrially important”. Including the first West Coast aircraft, Piaggio expects to deliver only three Evos this year, and five next year. Piaggio, which is owned by Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala, has invested heavily in a new factory in Villanova D’Albenga in north-west Italy, with separate commercial and military production lines, capable of producing 60 aircraft a year in total. Piaggio also offers two military versions of the Avanti, the unmanned P.1HH HammerHead and the special mission MPA.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
