News
Piaggio and Avantair sign agreement

Piaggio Aero Industries and Avantair signed a milestone agreement at the NBAA that calls for 22 Piaggio P.180 Avanti II aircraft to be delivered to Avantair starting in 2011 and continuing through 2012. The pending deal is worth more than US$150 million. When the new order is completed, Avantair’s fleet will include 107 P.180 Avanti aircraft.

“This agreement is one of the largest sales in the history of Piaggio Aero,” said Jose Di Mase, Piaggio Aero Industries CEO. ”The demand for Avanti II aircraft continues to increase and this agreement will assure Avantair has a steady stream of aircraft for its fractional fleet through 2012.”

The P.180 Avanti II is equipped with fully digital automatic flight control and the latest-generation Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics system. Offering a cabin that is more than six feet wide and five feet nine inches tall, the aircraft also sets new standards in quietness – the P.180 Avanti II cabin is rated as low as 68 dbA speech interference level. The pusher engines direct sound toward the tail of the aircraft, leaving the cabin virtually free of powerplant noise.

The Italian-designed and built aircraft is certified for single-pilot operation and seats up to nine passengers. Holder of numerous speed records, the P.180 Avanti II is capable of flying over 1,700 nautical miles at up to 402 kts and cruises at altitudes up to 41,000 feet.