Cyprus is approaching the start of the 2026 fire season without fully secured aerial firefighting assets, against the backdrop of last year’s deadly wildfires that left two people dead, according to information obtained by Phileleftheros.
According to the newspaper’s information, four firefighting helicopters that should have been on the island and ready to begin operations on April 1, 2026, have not yet been instructed to deploy because appeals remain pending before the Tenders Review Authority and the courts. Two more helicopters that were expected to arrive from Jordan on March 1, 2026, have also not yet arrived because of the war in Iran.
The same information indicates that two firefighting aircraft due to be based in Cyprus under the European aerial firefighting mechanism will remain available to any EU country that needs them.
That means that while national coordinator and chief fire officer Nikos Longinos said on Thursday that 13 aerial assets had been secured, several variables could reduce that number to seven or increase it to 17, according to the report.
Phileleftheros reported that if no immediate decision is taken on the four firefighting helicopters, a serious gap will emerge. The company that won the tender has warned Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas in a letter that it may have to reassess whether it can keep the helicopters and its personnel on standby for the Republic of Cyprus if a decision is not taken at once.
The contract remains unresolved because of repeated appeals by another interested company, the report said. Based on a letter cited in the report, the successful bidder, Helicompany, should have deployed four Black Hawk helicopters from April 1, 2026, but has not yet been called on by the Defence Ministry to do so.
According to the same letter, Helicompany has twice been named the successful bidder in the tender for the Republic of Cyprus’s five-year aerial firefighting contract and has already provided firefighting services on the island through bridging contracts during the 2023 and 2024 fire seasons. However, implementation of the contract has remained pending since early 2025 because of continued appeals, creating what the report described as a serious risk that Cyprus could enter the 2026 fire season without adequately secured aerial firefighting assets.
The newspaper also reported that the National Guard’s Aerial Firefighting Squadron, which now has responsibility for airborne firefighting assets, is examining a transitional solution through a bridging contract for the summer period, as happened last year. Decisions are expected immediately because otherwise the successful company may deploy its available assets to other countries.
At present, the Republic of Cyprus has four aircraft – three it already had and one acquired this year – in addition to two EU aircraft that will be stationed in Cyprus under the rescEU programme but will be available to any European country that requests them. Cyprus is also expected to have two leased air tractors, the four helicopters that are awaiting a settlement so they can become immediately available, and one police helicopter.
The total could rise to 17 if it also includes two helicopters from the British Bases and two Jordanian helicopters, although the arrival of the latter depends on the war in Iran. Contacts with Jordan are due in the coming days to examine the options for their timely arrival, as happened last year.
