Piaggio Aerospace (Static A6) is back at the Paris Air Show with new management determined to get its new Avanti Evo business aircraft back on track and stepping up efforts for its P.1HH Hammerhead medium-altitude long-endurance (Male) unmanned air system to enter service. CEO Carlo Logli, appointed last year when Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Aerospace took over as main shareholder of what had been a family-owned business, freely admitted in an interview with AIN last week that he has been pushing hard for a cultural change needed to make the Italian company more innovative and accountable to customers.

The airframer has invested around $153 million to consolidate its previously scattered production facilities at a new factory in Villanova d’Albenga. According to Logli, parts that previously had to move multiple times between Piaggio’s sites in Genoa and Finale Ligure are now moving through assembly much more efficiently on the consolidated assembly line.

This year, Piaggio aims to deliver six Avanti Evo twin pusherprops, and by 2017 aims to ramp up to at least two per month as it approaches an eventual production peak of between 30 and 35 units. A big sticking point, Logli explained, was that even after the Evo achieved initial European certification in December 2014, Piaggio was forced to make a late change to its landing gear supplier. It imminently expects to compete final approval for the main and nose gear, which now features new steering and anti-skid systems.

“One problem last year was that we had plenty of programs, but no production,” said Logli. “Our challenge is to achieve a cultural change in the way the company is run with more accountability and a clear sharing of mission and objectives now that we are part of a big international group,” he said. “Before, the [relationship] between the management and shareholders was quite confused. Piaggio was close to collapse a few years ago, but now we are healthy and I hope to have the new culture implemented by the end of this year.”

The upgraded Avanti also features new propeller blades that have reduced noise levels both externally and inside the cabin. “The Evo flies at more than 400 knots and at 40,000 feet, so it is comparable to a jet,” said Logli. “Our target customer is someone who wants a very comfortable cabin, not the usual cigar shape, and our cross section is definitely more comfortable [than rival aircraft in the same price range].”

A year ago at Farnborough International Air Show, Hong Kong-based Bravia Capital placed firm orders for 10 Avantis and options for up to 40 more. The first of these aircraft was due to be delivered in the first quarter of 2015.

Customer support has been another area requiring improvement at Piaggio. “We’ve put a lot of effort into this, for example by implementing a power-by-the-hour support plan and increasing our spare parts supplies and appointing new repair stations,” explained Logli. “We now have an on-call 24/7 support center and an improved online portal.”

Meanwhile, flight testing of the Hammerhead UAS is in progress with the Italian air force. The aircraft, which is based on the Avanti, can conduct missions of up to 16 hours in duration at up to 45,000 feet.

“No other aircraft in serial production can achieve this and it is the only one [in its Male category] to have two engines and be able to operate in any weather conditions,” claimed Logli. “This is a big advantage for both civil and military applications.”

Last month, Piaggio announced further changes to its management structure led by chief financial officer Giulio Di Negro, chief technical officer Giovanni Bertolone, chief operating officer Eligio Trombetta and chief commercial officer Francescomaria Tuccillo.