ROME, March 24 (Reuters) – Europe is unprepared to deal with the growing wildfire crisis and must overhaul its fleet of firefighting aircraft and invest more, a report said.
The newspaper, commissioned by Portugal-based Avincis, which leases firefighting aircraft and helicopters, said the increased risk across southern Europe was attributed to climate change, declining rural populations and an increase in flammable vegetation.
Wildfires, which typically rage from early June to mid-September, broke out earlier and later this year, according to the report drafted by the consulting firm Lead by Thought.
‘Fire season is getting longer’
The paper, to be presented at an aerial firefighting conference in Rome on Wednesday, added that the fire was also spreading northward.
A total of 1,100 hectares of land burned in Sweden last year, more than 120% more than the recent average, the report said. Data for Finland and Denmark also exceeded their long-term baselines.
Last month, the EU’s independent advisers also expressed concerns about the bloc’s readiness to deal with the growing threat.
The European Commission will present a new strategy on Wednesday aimed at strengthening early efforts to prevent and reduce fire risks.
In 2025, fires destroyed 1.03 million hectares of forest across the EU, the highest level on record.
Spain suffered the most serious damage, with 393,079 hectares burned, followed by Portugal, Romania, Italy, Greece and France, the report said.
“There is no question that fire seasons are getting longer,” said John Boag, CEO of Amfensis Group. “The time window to get aircraft from one hemisphere to the other is getting smaller and smaller, forcing a reduction in the available aerial firefighting fleet around the world.”
The EU has committed to investing 600 million euros ($694.56 million) in 2024 to purchase 12 DHC-515 amphibious fire-fighting aircraft in six countries, with delivery scheduled between 2027 and 2030.
The report quoted Brian Chave, chief executive of the plane’s maker, Canada’s de Havilland, as saying red tape delays were complicating efforts to expand production.
“We are trying to start a second production line, but the government bureaucracy is very slow,” he said. “This applies not only to our aircraft but to any firefighting asset.”
There is also a shortage of skilled workers, the report said.
The report added that foreign pilots seeking employment in the EU must now take more than a dozen tests to obtain an EUAV aviation safety agency license, compared with just one or two in the United States or Australia.
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(Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni; Editing by Andrew Paradise)