Europe is increasingly unprepared for longer and more severe wildfire seasons, with firefighting aircraft now needed almost year-round and shortages of both planes and qualified pilots placing growing pressure on emergency response efforts, according to Avincis, Europe’s largest aerial emergency services company.
John Boag, the company’s chief executive, told Reuters that increasingly prolonged wildfire seasons, combined with bureaucratic barriers to pilot recruitment, are making it harder to meet demand across the continent.
“Globally, fire seasons are getting longer, aircraft are not moving between areas and pilots are becoming harder and harder to get,” Boag said.
His comments come as France and Spain battle historic wildfires following weeks of drought that have turned forests into major fire hazards.
Smoke billows as a wildfire reignites on the outskirts of Cotignac, in the Var department, amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, July 23, 2026. REUTERS/Manon Cruz
Longer Fire Seasons Stretch Resources
According to Lisbon-based Avincis, Europe’s firefighting capacity is under strain because extended wildfire seasons leave less time to shift aircraft between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
“Originally the peak period of the year over the summer was three or four months,” Boag said. “Now we have aircraft starting in March and April and going through to October.”
He added that wet winters can worsen the problem by increasing vegetation growth that later becomes highly flammable, while wildfire risks are also spreading farther north.
Boag said governments may need to rethink how they fund aerial firefighting resources.
Smoke and fog in a burnt forest affected by a wildfire, near Saumos, Gironde, amid drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, July 28, 2026. REUTERS/Yves Herman TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
“You’re at a point where governments are going to have to be able to afford to have the aircraft available to cover a 12-month period, because commercial companies can’t go to the South (Southern Hemisphere) and earn more revenue over the off-season,” he said.
Growing Demand, Limited Supply
Avincis operates a global fleet of 180 helicopters and 40 fixed-wing aircraft, including 22 Canadair waterbombers.
In Spain and Portugal alone, where the company deploys 47 aircraft, its crews have already logged more than 5,000 firefighting flight hours this year—more than double the total recorded during the same period in 2025.
Europe has jointly ordered 22 Canadair water-scooping aircraft from De Havilland Canada, but after a decade-long production pause, the new model is not expected to reach its first customer, Greece, until 2028.
A drone view shows smoke and fog above burnt forest affected by a wildfire, near Saumos, Gironde, amid drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, July 28, 2026. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Alternative aircraft remain limited. France has deployed the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft for firefighting missions, using it to drop 20 tons of fire retardant. Other manufacturers, including China’s Comac, presented potential firefighting aircraft concepts at last week’s Farnborough Airshow, while French startup HYNAERO is designing an amphibious firefighting aircraft targeted for completion in 2032.
Pilot Shortages and Licensing Barriers
Boag said recruiting experienced pilots remains another major challenge.
Aerial firefighting requires low-level precision flying in unpredictable air currents, creating demand for highly skilled pilots and technicians.
He criticized European regulations that require military pilots and those arriving from outside Europe to retake civil aviation examinations before they can qualify.
A drone view shows smoke and fog above burnt forest affected by a wildfire, near Saumos, Gironde, amid drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, July 28, 2026. REUTERS/Yves Herman
“We need a pathway to be able to get people into Europe quickly without the bureaucracy,” Boag said. “The aerodynamics on a helicopter are the same in the military and the civilian world.”
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency did not immediately comment on its pilot licensing rules.
