From scooters to skies: How Piaggio’s aircraft legacy took flight again

For many, the name Piaggio evokes images of Vespa scooters humming through cobbled Italian streets. But behind the classic two-wheeler lies a remarkable aviation story, one that has just taken a dramatic new turn.

Founded in 1884, Piaggio began as a railway manufacturer before pivoting into aviation during World War I. By the postwar years, it had produced aircraft like the P.136 and the versatile P.166 Portofino. Its most famous plane, the futuristic-looking P.180 Avanti, debuted in 1986 and remains the world’s fastest turboprop in production, flying at speeds over 400 knots.

Yet despite its engineering brilliance, Piaggio Aerospace struggled financially for decades. After a series of bankruptcies and restructuring efforts, the company was placed under special administration by the Italian government in 2018. That turbulent chapter closed in June 2025 when Turkish drone giant Baykar acquired Piaggio Aerospace in a bid to expand into manned aviation.

“We’re proud to restore this iconic brand,” said Selçuk Bayraktar, Baykar’s Chairman and CTO, in a TRT Global interview. “Our goal is to restart P.180 Avanti EVO production and turn Piaggio into a center of excellence for aircraft and engine maintenance in Europe.”

Baykar plans to retain Piaggio’s core operations in Villanova d’Albenga, Italy, and may revive projects like the P.1HH Hammerhead drone. Aerospace Global News reports that Piaggio’s engineering could play a key role in enhancing Baykar’s long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). While Piaggio’s scooter division remains separate and unaffected, its aerospace arm now faces the future with a new set of wings and new hope.

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