Italy-based aviation firm Piaggio Aerospace, which is undergoing restructuring after its acquisition by Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle producer (UAV) Baykar, will increase aircraft production capacity by five to six times through new investments, the company’s chairman said late on Jan. 12.
Haluk Bayraktar, chairman of the board of Piaggio Aerospace and General Manager of Baykar, said in a press release that Piaggio operates two facilities, one for manufacturing its P180 light transport aircraft and the other for producing engine parts and carrying out engine maintenance.
"When Piaggio's facilities, capabilities, talents, heritage and brand name are combined with Baykar's new innovations in the field of UAVs, we see a bright future,” he added.
Bayraktar noted the P180 is a special aircraft and that production capacity has remained low in recent years, but that Baykar aims to revive operations and increase output.
Piaggio currently produces about four to five aircraft per year, but that figure will rise next year, he said.
Bayraktar noted that production of the P180 Avanti would increase to 25 to 30 aircraft per year, adding that existing facilities, production setup and supply chains allow such capacity.
"As Baykar, we are committed to new investments, new updates and making this aircraft attractive again,” he added.
"We are determined to ensure it gets its share of the market. Piaggio has produced more than 250 P180 aircraft to date and 220 of them have been actively flying since 1986.”
Bayraktar said Baykar aims to introduce technological updates to maintain the aircraft’s competitiveness.
"In this context, we are investing heavily in system updates and modernizing the avionics,” he added.
Bayraktar stated the upgrades will result in a new version of the aircraft to be branded as the “Avanti Next” model.
