Piaggio has two dedicated design teams actively studying future
business jet concepts and is working towards the introduction
of an entirely new aircraft family to complement the Avanti propjet.
Company CEO José Di Mase has told Show News that his Italian
specialists are developing a series of small jet designs that
may seek to capitalize on the "fever" that surrounds
this market segment right now. At the same time Piaggio is studying
a much larger jet concept, significantly larger than today's Avanti,
that will become the head of a new business jet family.
Piaggio is buoyed up with the success of the P.180 Avanti which
has seen its order book and production rate stabilize since the
company was revitalized by its new owners in 1999. There are 66
Avantis in service today and the company has taken orders for
another 42 in the past 12 months. A significant portion of new
business has been won in the last 30 to 60 days, says Piaggio-echoing
earlier comments by Dassault here at NBAA that it too had seen
a substantial upswing in very recent business. Di Mase says that
the Avanti is now a mature design and will be largely "left
alone" (in terms of any radical development) by the company,
as it concentrates on "the next aircraft from Piaggio".
Di Mase sees the new jets as crucial to Piaggio's continuing expansion
in the U.S. market and expects that they will be ready to fly
within five or six years.
