New Piaggio Aero general manager Eligio Trombetta was in bullish form at EBACE this week as he outlined plans for the new P1XX jet, the next aircraft to join the Italian airframer’s stable. And it seems that the new model will be more of a step up from the existing P.180 Avanti than some had imagined. “The P1XX ideally will go beyond Europe,” he said. One of Piaggio’s key shareholders is India’s Tata group, and its intercontinental ambitions likely mean that the London-Mumbai city pair is just the sort of reach being targeted for Piaggio’s first jet. This would equate to a range of 3,900 nm, a 2,440-nm range increase over the company’s Avanti II turboprop twin. Piaggio will be ready to present its designs for the P1XX, as well as supplier selection suggestions, to its shareholders by this summer. This could clear the way for a program launch at the NBAA Convention in October. Trombetta said the jet would not be “much bigger” than the Avanti, though it will probably be substantially different. He stressed that it will not compete with its turboprop sister. The Avanti is also due for some upgrades by 2012, namely an increased range of 200 to 300 nm, a new braking system, lower external noise footprint and cabin connectivity.