Firefighting aircraft | New information from the Ministry of Agriculture

Defence Redefined

Published on 09/05/2020 at 13:21

The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, following publications in the media, clarifies with a newer update, regarding the descent of the two firefighting aircraft under the rescEU program.

In the context of the efforts of the relevant services of the Republic to upgrade the firefighting capability and flexibility of the Department of Forestry, the Ministry referred to the European RescEU mechanism to ensure co-financing for the leasing of firefighting aircraft.

The Ministry also clarifies that during the process there was not any intervention, at any level, by EU representatives on the issue of where the aircraft would be parked.

In this context, it has been possible to secure EU co-financing for the least of two Air Tractor (not Canadair) firefighting aircraft.

The Ministry also said that the scenario that the EU had imposed the placement of the two planes on British bases soil with Turkish pressure was completely unfounded and did not correspond to reality.

The use of the British military base at Akrotiri Base, which has been used since 2006 for more effective firefighting in the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, was decided based on purely technocratic and operational criteria.

The Republic of Cyprus will have 6 primary firefighting airborne mediums this year. Two of them will operate from the military airport of Akrotiri, in order to have more timely coverage of the southern areas of Troodos.

The decision to use Akrotiri military airport was taken in consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, taking into account all the necessary parameters and being fully aware of the security needs of the Republic of Cyprus as well as the full guarantee of the rights and interests of the Republic of Cyprus.

The Ministry also notes that it has always relied on documented studies by experts on firefighting issues in relation to the technical / operational details of a firefighting operation.

The Ministry believes that the securing of additional firefighting aircraft from the EU institutions is a huge success for Cyprus.

Finally, the announcement also states that the Ministry accepts any bona fide criticism, as it is based on real facts and data and not on unsubstantiated and unfounded information.