Italy's Piaggio Aerospace kicks off new tender to seek buyers

MILAN (Reuters) - Italy's Piaggio Aerospace, the maker of planes and drones which filed for protection from creditors in late 2018, said on Tuesday it had launched a new tender for its sale, with potential bidders having until June 12 to submit their interest.

Bidders deemed suitable will be given a 30-day due diligence period, after which they can submit a binding offer, it added in a statement.

Italy's Industry Minister Adolfo Urso has extended the deadline for the sale of Piaggio Aerospace - which comprises Piaggio Aereo and Piaggio Aviation - until May 13, 2024, it added.

It said the two assets must be considered as one company.

"Our objective is to identify in the shortest possible time a potential buyer, also at an international level, that can guarantee production continuity, specific expertise, employment preservation and financial reliability," Piaggio Aerospace's special administrators said.

The company currently has an order backlog of around 556 million euros ($612 million).

Piaggio Aerospace is separate from Vespa scooter maker Piaggio.

($1 = 0.9084 euros)

(Reporting by Elisa Anzolin; Writing by Cristina Carlevaro Editing by Alvise Armellini and Mark Potter)