Bologna based Foxair has added a fourth P180 to its fleet. The company, which exclusively operates the aircraft, has two of its P180s decorated with the Ferrari livery. “We mainly cater for Italian customers making business flights, with the most popular destinations being Rome, Paris and London,” said director general Gian Andrea Bandieri.

The company’s been operating since 1999. Bandieri explained: “We decided to opt for the P180 because it has the performance and capabilities to pull in good business. Obviously the fact that it’s an Italian aircraft is attractive to our domestic customers, but this is just part of its appeal. It’s also very comfortable and as fast as a jet in the same category, yet cheaper.”

Three of the P180s, including this latest one, were received brand new. “We work in close cooperation with Piaggio and they configured the aircraft to suit our particular needs. We even have provisions for a stretcher and a medical kit (so we can do air ambulance flights), which takes three or four hours for our technician to set up,” said Bandieri.

The company is confident about the current situation in the Italian market and believes things are looking very promising for the future. “We increased our fleet according to the increased demand for charters and the Ferrari partnership has definitely been good for the image of the P180.

“I think the aircraft’s main competitors are the CJ1, CJ2, Citation I and II, but these are less comfortable and more expensive than our aircraft,” said Bandieri.

Fox Air is based at Aeroporto Guglielmo Marconi in Bologna. All general aviation movements are handled by ALOA, but Fox has two hangars and offices at the airport as well as providing line maintenance. “There is one other charter company in Italy which exclusively operates the aircraft, but it only has one P180,” added Bandieri.