Andrew Douse
Mention the colour red to Piaggio's accountants a few years ago and they would have winced.
Now that racing red colour has come to the rescue of the Italian firm.
In October last year, the Ferrari family - whose brilliant red house colour adorns their Formula 1 racing cars - took over the reins at Piaggio, pulling the firm out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The new-look Piaggio Aero Industries is here at Le Bourget, brimming with optimism and bursting with big ideas for the future.
From the company stand (Hall 2/L11) spokesman Paolo Barberis says: "Our future looks very bright. Operations have been resumed throughout the company and in particular we have started updating our P166 DP1."
High-wing
The P166 DP1 is the latest offspring of the high-wing, light twin-pusher, turboprop Piaggio P166 aircraft, intended for both land and sea surveillance.
"There are 30 of these aircraft in the hands of the Italian coastguard and air force that all need to be updated.'
Piaggio's vice-chairman Piero Ferrari also has big designs on the new-production Piaggio P180 Avanti executive twin turboprop.
Ferrari says these new designs will do wonders for the image, describing the P180 as the 'Ferrari of the air'.
Source: Flight Daily News