Piaggio Knows It Needs to Up Its Product Support Game

Piaggio Aerospace has launched a mission to revitalize “every single aspect of the business,” as the Italian manufacturer prepares to introduce its new P.180 Avanti NX model. The group's new Turkish owner Baykar is investing to boost its support infrastructure and capabilities.

Speaking to AIN at the Aero Friedrichshafen show last week Piaggio's newly-appointed chief of design and brand Alberto Caruso said Baykar's backing is reenergizing opportunities for its distinctive twin pusherprop aircraft. With the acquisition formally completed in July 2025, the challenge ahead now lies in rebuilding customer trust and strengthening not just Piaggio’s product range but for support activities too.

According to Caruso, “the core issue has been the service,” with Piaggio having “lost trust from the markets” during a six-year administrative restructuring process. This was initiated back in 2018 when its previous major shareholder, the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, withdrew.

“They invested a lot in facilities, but [regarding] the products, their focus was on the [uncrewed P.1HH HammerHead] military conversion of the P.180,” Caruso explained. While maintaining that the drone derivative of the P.180 was “technically a great product, he acknowledged it had not found its place in the market at a time when the company "really lost the focus on the business aviation and special missions.” 

Baykar—a drone specialist—will continue to develop UAVs via a separate joint venture with Italian aerospace and defense group Leonardo. However, Caruso believes Piaggio is now better placed to anticipate its civilian market’s needs: focusing on the best trajectory “without jumping on unrealistic products.”

P.180 Avanti: Past, Present and Future

To best support its existing and future customer base, Piaggio is focused on “reactivating fundamental partnerships” to up capacity and build resilience in its supply chain. This includes Rheinland Air Service which was appointed as an authorized service center less than a month ago, having worked on more than 40 aircraft in the last two years alone. In the U.S, Oklahoma-based Intercontinental Jet Services will also serve a market largely comprised of pilot owner-operators.

While Caruso believes there is a “certain misconception on the [Avanti’s] turboprop,” the P.180’s “jet-like” performance and efficiency – offering in excess of 700 kilometres an hour, and a range of up to 3,150 kilometres (1700 nm) – is nevertheless key to its customer appeal. “It’s really important we educate the market about the product,” he suggested. “I think the P.180 has never really been understood.”

In February, Piaggio revealed its NX configuration: promising upgraded avionics, enhanced interiors, WiFi connectivity, and potential engine upgrades. An undisclosed European operator placed the first two orders for the revamped variant during the show, which Caruso suggested could take a conservative time span of around three to four years to bring to market.