FlightFX has announced that its Piaggio P.180 Avanti II, now officially licensed by Piaggio Aerospace, will release for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on March 12, 2026, bringing the distinctive Italian executive turboprop to the new simulator platform. The aircraft has been built specifically for MSFS 2024, with the developer focusing heavily on system depth, aircraft character, and realistic performance modeling designed to replicate the real-world behavior of the Avanti II.
The aircraft includes a range of advanced systems designed to accurately represent the Avanti II’s unique turboprop performance. These features include custom engine damage logic, a custom propeller simulation with dedicated controls, simulated auto-feather functionality during emergency scenarios, and a fully custom pressurization model. Flight performance has also been tuned to match real-world takeoff, climb, and cruise characteristics, with feedback from real-world pilots used during development.
The avionics suite is centered around ProLine 21 avionics, alongside specialized aircraft system pages and a custom CAS panel. The aircraft also includes realistic alert and warning systems as well as multiple nose wheel steering control modes, allowing the aircraft to behave more closely to its real-world counterpart during both ground and flight operations.
A key feature of the package is the expanded VAMS 2.0 tablet, which introduces several additional capabilities for the MSFS 2024 version. The tablet now features a multi-directional mount, Navigraph and OpenStreetMap integration, a SimBrief-linked load manager, ground services controls, and Active Noise Reduction functionality designed to enhance cockpit immersion during flight operations.
Visually, the aircraft has been developed using on-site 3D scanning, which served as the foundation for the detailed external modeling and high-resolution textures included in the package. The aircraft also features several selectable cabin enhancements, detailed interior lighting, controllable window blinds, optional cargo configurations, and a dedicated Medevac variant that expands the aircraft’s operational scenarios within the simulator.
Alongside the MSFS 2024 release, FlightFX confirmed that the MSFS 2020 version will receive update 2.0.3 on the same day, introducing several improvements to the existing aircraft. This update includes the newly licensed aircraft branding, a reworked flight model to improve weight and balance accuracy, updated engine logic with more accurate temperature and damage simulation, and a new Weight & Balance application integrated into the aircraft’s custom EFB.
Additional improvements included in the MSFS 2020 update involve smoother autopilot behavior, improved LNAV tracking performance, and a variety of refinements across avionics, lighting, and aircraft system behavior. These updates aim to bring the MSFS 2020 version closer in quality and functionality to the newer MSFS 2024 release while maintaining compatibility with the current simulator platform.
The aircraft will be available through the Microsoft Flight Simulator Marketplace for $24.99 USD, and existing owners of the MSFS 2020 version will receive a free upgrade to the MSFS 2024 version. With the aircraft now officially licensed as the Piaggio P.180 Avanti II, updated branding and naming will be reflected across both simulator versions. For more flight simulation news, updates, and releases, make sure to follow FSNews.
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