Piaggio Aero Industries Relaunching P.180 Jet At NBAA Aircraft Show; Says Firm is World's Oldest Aircraft Manufacturer
ATLANTA--- Capitalizing on three-quarters of a century aircraft manufacturing expertise, Italy-based Piaggio Aero Industries has relaunched its P.180 executive aircraft and is exhibiting it at the National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) show on October 12-14 in Atlanta. Since its inception last November, Piaggio Aero Industries has successfully relaunched its aircraft manufacturing, aero-engine manufacturing and aircraft and aero-engine maintenance businesses. The company has licensing agreements with Allied Signal, Lycoming, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls Royce, renewed subcontracting agreements with Alenia, Dassault, Dornier, and Fiat Avio, and this past week, formed a leasing company with Daimler-Benz. "We will participate in the National Business Aircraft Association meeting to stimulate market interest in Piaggio Aero Industries, its flagship P.180 Executive Airplane and to develop productive contacts with North-American operators,'' said Giuseppe Di Mase, chief executive officer and managing director of Piaggio Aero Industries. "Our plan is to enter the North-American market before next fall,'' he added, "by developing a strong marketing and maintenance infrastructure to ensure smooth operation and first deliveries of the P.180.'' Di Mase joins directors from the Buitoni and Ferrari families in the new company, formed last November from the assets of what formerly was Rinaldo Piaggio spa, the oldest existing aircraft manufacturer in the world. Based in Genova, Italy, Piaggio Aero has a legacy that combines worldwide brand expertise with uncomparable know-how in aircraft manufacturing and maintenance. With invested capital of 20 billion lira (US $11 million), Piaggio Aero is 60-percent owned by Aero Trust, a British-based fund managed by the Royal Bank of Canada, representing three prominent Italian families, Buitoni, Ferrari and Di Mase. Piero Ferrari, executive vice chairman of the well-known Italian sports car manufacturer, is chairman of the board of the new Piaggio. The company's first full year of operations recorded sales just under $100 million. "We intend to capitalize on the renowned skills of our employees,'' notes Piaggio's CEO Di Mase, "and on the long-standing reputation of the Piaggio brand in the aerospace industry. We will take the opportunity in Atlanta to communicate to the market that we are fully back in business.''
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Piaggio Aero Industries Relaunching P.180 Jet At NBAA Aircraft Show; Says Firm is World's Oldest Aircraft Manufacturer
