Piaggio Aero Industries has unveiled its first major contract for the sale of 50 Avanti EVO aircraft to Hong Kong investment company, Bravia Capital.

The contract, announced at Farnborough on Tuesday, includes 10 firm orders plus 40 options for deliveries starting in the first quarter of 2015.

Bravia is a global investment and advisory firm with a primary focus on transportation and logistics investments worldwide. CEO, Bharat Bhise, commented, "The market for general aviation is a highly specialized business in the United States. The Piaggio EVO will effectively service the east coast, west coast and numerous other areas that encompass a large percentage of the 'up to three hour' sector of the market. We are very pleased to be purchasing an aircraft which so clearly fits a well defined niche in US private and business aviation.”

Bharat Bhise, CEO of Bravia Capital with Piaggio CEO, Carlo Logli

Alberto Galassi Chairman of the Board of Directors of Piaggio Aero said, “This first major contract for our new Avanti EVO delivers an incredible vote of confidence to Piaggio Aero and our new business aircraft. Bravia Capital is a highly selective customer and investor of international stature; They opted for the Avanti EVO for the combination of performance, comfort and efficiency guaranteed by our new aircraft, recognized as the best option available on the market. It is with great pride that I see the next stage of Piaggio Aero’s contribution to business aviation thanks to the state of the art technology and excellence in style of the Avanti EVO.”

Carlo Logli, CEO of Piaggio Aero added, “Avanti EVO’s selection by Bravia Capital is a huge source of motivation for us, an achievement that rewards the utmost we are doing to drive the growth of Piaggio Aero also in the business aviation sector. Together with the certification of the Avanti EVO in October, Piaggio Aero attach the highest priority to customer service, ensuring that Bravia Capital and their partners will be ready to operate their Avanti EVOs smoothly from 2015. I would like to express my very sincere thanks to our customers for their confidence in our company and our brand new aircraft.

Beside the already proven characteristic of the Avanti, which with a maximum speed of 402 KTAS is the fastest turboprop in the world, the new Avanti EVO features the new “performance package” which includes:

• Innovative winglets, redesigned nacelles, and a reshaped front wing to help boost efficiency and cut emissions by 3%. Climb performance also increases by 3%.
• New five-blade scimitar propellers, which combine with aerodynamic changes to considerably reduce external noise by 68% - 5 dB(A) making the Avanti EVO a better neighbor.

Passenger comfort is further improved thanks to a internal noise reduction by 20% - 1 dB(A) to the whisper quite Avanti EVO signature cabin. Avanti EVO System upgrades includes also anti-skid braking, new low-maintenance landing gear, new digital steering, LED lighting, and other design and manufacturing advances which cut maintenance requirements.

Finally, the introduction of an Increased Range Configuration option with the already certified auxiliary fuel tank enhance maximum range of the Avanti EVO by 17% from 1470 nm to 1720 nm.

Piaggio delivers first P.180 Avanti II "Extended Range" aircraft

In further news, Piaggio has delivered the first P.180 Avanti II "Extended Range" aircraft to SR Jet, part of the Beijing based Sparkle Roll Investment Holdings Limited.

The SR Jet aircraft is the first Avanti aircraft able to fly for more than 1,720 Nm, thanks to the installation of a permanent additional tank - which replaces only half of a closet in the toilet and with no changes to the airframe - that allows the fuel capacity of the Piaggio Aero iconic aircraft to grow from 2,826 lb to 3,226 lb enabling a comfortable nonstop flight from Beijing to Hainan or Hanoi, Milan to Reykjavik and Samara, Abu Dhabi to Istanbul and Chennai.