Cyprus is facing a severe shortage of firefighting aircraft just as wildfire season approaches, with authorities currently operating only two full-time aerial firefighting units, according to documents reviewed by Phileleftheros.
The situation has prompted the Tender Review Authority to reject appeals to delay the signing of contracts for two additional firefighting helicopters, despite pending legal challenges from excluded bidders, citing the urgent need to protect forests and the wider environment.
The government side emphasised that at this moment there are only two available aircraft for firefighting, making it an immediate and primary necessity and broader public interest to ensure Cyprus’s protection from the risk of fires.
Two companies that had submitted bids and were subsequently disqualified had requested that the authority withhold approval for the contract award, asking officials to await the outcome of their appeals. However, the authority determined that delaying the procurement process could have severe environmental consequences.
The Department of Forests, in documentation submitted to the Review Authority, warned of weather conditions similar to those that preceded major destructive wildfires in 2016 and 2021.
“The ongoing drought, combined with the high temperatures expected to prevail, significantly intensifies the risk of fire outbreaks. The lack of rainfall leads to dry soil and the production of flammable vegetation, creating an environment where the slightest spark can cause large and complex fires,” the department noted in its submission.
Government representatives contested claims that Cyprus would have access to 11 aircraft during the critical summer period, clarifying that this figure erroneously included the two helicopters whose delivery depends on the Review Authority’s decision.
In its final determination, the authority cited the “tight timeline for acquiring the helicopters given the limited time remaining before the start of the summer season” and weighed the risks that fires pose to “human lives, natural wealth, and Cyprus’s environment.”
The decision further noted the “significant economic cost that will arise for the Republic of Cyprus from possible damages resulting from fires, as well as the incalculable ecological, environmental, and social damage caused by large fires.”
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