While the process of finding a new owner for the company is proceeding according to plan, a new order has arrived for Piaggio Aerospace from the US. A sales agreement for one new production P.180 Avanti EVO has been signed with Mid-South Services, a company with headquarters in Clearwater, Florida.

Scheduled for delivery in the first half of next year the aircraft, intended for private and commercial use, will feature a seven-seat corporate interior and an extended range supplemental fuel tank.

“The unbeatable speed, cabin comfort and eco-friendly fuel efficiency of the aircraft make the Avanti EVO my preferred choice over all other products in this category, while the supplemental fuel tank allows us to complete our longer trips without a stop,” says Dean Fuller, president of Mid-South Services and buyer of several Piaggio Avanti aircraft in previous years.

“The contract signed today, which comes from a customer operating in the most important and dynamic market in the world, confirms once more the global interest in the Avanti EVO and its unique performances,” adds Vincenzo Nicastro, extraordinary commissioner of Piaggio Aerospace. “The company, with integrated functions of customer service and sales, is demonstrating an excellent vitality and significant capability to operate in international markets.”

With this new order, the company has 11 new Avanti EVOs in production and is proceeding with the upgrading of the onboard systems of an additional 19 P.180 aircraft operated by the Italian Armed Forces. The total amount of the order portfolio, including the activity of its engine business unit, has a value of approximately 640 million euros ($750 million USD). Additional orders with a value of 260 million euros ($300 million USD) are under negotiation.

In February of this year commissioner Nicastro, appointed by the Italian Government in December 2018, issued an international call for tenders for the sale of the business complexes of the company, receiving 19 responses. From these, 11 companies have been granted access to the data room, which will remain open until the end of September. The target of the commissioner remains the signature of the sale document this year.