Avincis fights fires across three European countries

Training day: an Airbus AS332L2 Super Puma on a training mission. (Photocredit: Avincis).

Many European countries are fighting out of control wildfires in their regions with Avincis, one of Europe’s largest aerial firefighting companies, helping them.

So far, the emergency services operator has completed more than 9,200 flight hours and nearly 3,900 firefighting missions across Spain, Portugal and Italy during the 2026 wildfire season.

Italy, France, Greece and the UKare also fighting wildfires. Many countries are now suffering drought conditions, which are hampering firefighting operations.

The operator’s firefighting flight hours across Spain, Portugal and Italy have increased by nearly 90% compared with the same period last year. In the process, its crews have dropped nearly 200 million litres of water – enough to fill nearly 80 Olympic-sized swimming pools. This year’s statistics reveal the scale of one of Europe’s most challenging wildfire seasons.

As wildfire seasons become longer and more intense, Avincis has structured its operations to provide a scalable aerial emergency response across Europe, it says. The company continues to work closely with public authorities, civil protection bodies, fire and rescue services and other emergency organisations across Southern Europe. Globally, the company operates a firefighting fleet of about 70 aircraft, including helicopters and Canadair water bombers. This has enabled it to reinforce firefighting operations in Southern Europe as demand peaks throughout the season.

Avincis operates fully integrated response models, with pilots, engineers, maintenance technicians, operational teams and support personnel working together to keep aircraft mission-ready. John Boag, group CEO of Avincis said: “Wildfire seasons are becoming longer and the pressure is being felt across the industry. Aircraft that once operated for three or four months during the summer are now required from as early as March through to October. This makes it more difficult to move aircraft and crews between regions, recruit experienced pilots and plan for a season that no longer has a clearly defined end point.

Meeting firefighting demand is not just about aircraft but about people too, he says. “Our focus is on training our crews throughout the year and ensuring close coordination between firefighters on the ground and pilots in the air. That teamwork is what makes the difference when a fire breaks out.”

In Spain and Portugal, Avincis has logged 5,630 flight hours and 2,533 missions, dropping more than 120 million litres of water across the Iberian Peninsula.

Across the two countries, Avincis is operating 52 aircraft – a mixed fleet including the Airbus AS332, Airbus AS350, Airbus AS355, Bell 212, Bell 407, Bell 412 and the Canadair CL-215 water bomber. These are supported by engineering, maintenance and other operational functions.

This mix of amphibious water bombers and different helicopter types gives flexibility to the whole operation, especially in times of intense firefighting activity, said the CEO.

In Italy, Avincis have completed 3,600 flight hours and 1,360 missions so far this season, dropping a total of 79.5 million litres of water.

To fight fires in Italy, the company operates 18 Canadair CL-415 aircraft on behalf of the Corpo Nazionale dei Vigili del Fuoco, with fleet operational readiness at close to 100%. The CL-415 is purpose-built for aerial firefighting, able to collect water directly from suitable bodies of water.

Meanwhile, read how Sikorsky has launched the first European production of its S-70 Firehawk helicopters in Poland here.