The aircraft company Piaggio Aero is controlled by the family of Piero Ferrari, who still hold 10 % of the famous car maker Ferrari.

In April 2006, the Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Development, a principal investment company owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi, has acquired a 35 per cent of the equity of Piaggio Aero in order to fund new jet development.

Piaggio Aero Industries S. p. A. is an aerospace manufacturing company headquartered in Genoa, Italy.

Piaggio Aero Industries designs, develops, constructs and maintains aircraft, aero-engines and aircraft structural components.

Today, the site of Piaggio ’ s facility is in Finale Ligure, where Piaggio Aero began to manufacture aircraft and aircraft engines.

The 1920's served as an important time in the company's history when, Piaggio Aero brought on Giovanni Pegna and Giuseppe Gabrielli, two aeronautical engineers, to help develop Piaggio's aeronautic line.

In 1966, the company separated into two separate entities, one was Vespa motor scooter and the other Piaggio Aero.

By 1998, the assets of Rinaldo Piaggio S. p. A. exchanged hands and a group of entrepreneurs headed by the Di Mase and Ferrari families and Piaggio became Piaggio Aero Industries.

This acquiring of assets brought Piaggio Aero Industries back to its roots, as a designer and producer of business aircraft.

In 2006 Mubadala Development, acquired a 35 % stake Piaggio Aero Industries S. p. A. Mubadala Development Company is a wholly owned investment vehicle of the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.

In 2008, the India-based conglomerate Tata Group acquired a one-third stake in Piaggio Aero Industries, becoming one of the primary shareholders alongside Ferrari and Di Mase families and Mubadala Development Company.

Piaggio Aero Industries has production facilities covering 120, 000 square meters ( 1. 3 million square feet ) in the northwest Italian cities of Genoa Sestri and Finale Ligure, as well as a High Technology Center based in Pozzuoli, near Naples.

Piaggio Aero also operates two additional service centers, one at Rome ’ s Ciampino Airport and the other at the Pratica di Mare Air Base.

The PHT division is a joint partnership between Piaggio Aero Industries, the Italian Aerospace Research Centre ( CIRA ), and other European research centers.

This center is projected to continue the Piaggio Aero tradition of new and innovative aerospace technologies and products.

Piaggio Aero is building a new modern manufacturing facility in Villanova d ’ Albenga, about 70 kilometers west of Genoa.

Designed around the principles of lean manufacturing technologies, this plant will allow Piaggio Aero to increase production capacity, production efficiency and optimize workflow.

Piaggio Aero Industries is the only company in the world active both in the aircraft and the aero-engine business.

In 2000, Piaggio Aero Industries signed a collaboration agreement with Rolls-Royce to join the RTM 322 turbo shaft engine program as a manufacturing partner.

Currently, Piaggio Aero Industries manufactures a significant share of the RTM322 engine parts.

In 2003 Piaggio Aero Industries was selected by Pratt & Whitney to supply the Low Pressure Turbine case and the bearing compartment housings for the F. 135 engine, powering the F. 35 Joint Strike Fighter ( JSF ).

In 2006 Piaggio Aero Industries has signed an agreement with Pratt & Whitney Canada to acquire 25 % of the share capital of P & WC Turbo Engines Corp., which is in charge of the production of the PW206 – PW207 helicopter engines which fits out many helicopter models such as the Agusta A109 Power ', the Eurocopter EC / 135, the Bell Helicopter B427, the MD Helicopters MD900 and the Kazan Ansat.

Piaggio Aero Industries has also experience in the area of infrared suppression systems ( IRS ) for helicopters ; the Agusta A129, part of the Italian Army fleet, is currently equipped with an IRS, designed, tested and manufactured by Piaggio Aero Industries.

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In 2004 Aprilia was acquired by Piaggio & C. SpA, to form the world ’ s fourth largest motorcycle group with 1. 5 billion Euro in sales, an annual production capacity of over 600, 000 vehicles, and a presence in 50 countries.

A Piaggio P166 was used infrequently in the 1970s, whilst Rossair operated Cessna 402's in an arrangement with ASA to replace the F27's in off-peak times.

Aeronautical engineer Corradino D ' Ascanio, responsible for the design and construction of the first modern helicopter by Agusta, was asked by Enrico Piaggio to create a simple, robust and affordable vehicle.

The aeronautical division was named IAM Rinaldo Piaggio.

In 1999 Morgan Grenfell Private Equity acquired Piaggio, but a quickly hoped-for sale was dashed by a failed joint venture in China.

Even though Piaggio was the European market leader, it was dwarfed by rivals Honda and Yamaha.

The only unit of the Regia Aeronautica to fly the Piaggio P. 108 was the " 274th Long-Range Bombardment Group " which was formed in May 1941 as the first machines came off the assembly lines.

Piaggio was founded in Genoa in 1884, originally outfitting ocean liners and manufacturing rolling stock for the developing railway infrastructure at the turn of the century.

Due to financial gains in this industry, Rinaldo Piaggio was able to build a factory in 1906 in Final Marina.

1948 was the year Piaggio launched the Piaggio P. 136, a twin-engine seaplane, that was operated by the Italian Air Force, when liaison transport missions were needed.

By 1957 Piaggio created the Piaggio P. 166 light transport aircraft that was marketed and produced for the military and civilian personnel worldwide.

The Puch motorcycle company was sold to Piaggio, maker of the Vespa, in 1987 and still produces bikes under the name " Puch ".

When the bicycle division of Piaggio, which also included Bianchi Bicycles was sold to the Swedish Grimaldi Industri group in 1997, Puch became part of Cycleurope.

In 1969, the company was purchased by Piaggio which now holds six marques and is the world's fourth largest motorcycle manufacturer.

The famous factory of Arcore was closed in 1993 and now the motorcycles ( only scooters ) bearing the name Gilera are produced by Piaggio in Pontedera.

During World War II the company produced bomber aircraft, but Piaggio emerged from the conflict with its Pontedera plant completely demolished by Allied bombing.

After learning that the name had already been registered by Piaggio for its Vespa motorscooter, it was referred to simply by the number “ 98 ”.

By May, it expanded its motorcycle division by entering into an agreement with the Piaggio Group.

Beta and Benelli stopped manufacturing scooters, ItalJet closed its doors and its designs purchased by Kinetic of India ( though ItalJet has now been revived in Italy ), Aprilia was purchased in bankruptcy by Piaggio.