As Europe and North America get an early taste of wildfire season 2026, the annual south to north migration of aerial firefighting resources is well underway amid European industry calls for more investment in aircraft.

Australia’s McDermott Aviation has started to shift its aerial firefighting fleet to Greece, marking the company’s seventh consecutive year supporting Greek authorities.

A total of 15 helicopters – including 11 Bell 214ST “Super Transporter” aircraft and four Bell 214B “Big Lifter” helitaks – are being mobilised from Australia and the United States, with operations running through to the end of October 2026. At that point, the migration resumes, but in the other direction.

At peak deployment, 14 aircraft will be on contract at any one time, supported by approximately 100 specialist personnel rotating through Greece, alongside additional operational support teams based in Australia and working in partnership with local Greek providers.

Aircraft will be positioned across 11 bases, including key island locations and mainland sites from Araxos in the west to Alexandroupolis in the east, and from Ioannina in the north to Crete and Rhodes in the south.

The fleet will undertake aerial firefighting operations, including water bombing and the transport of ground crews, with additional capability to support evacuation, search and rescue, and broader disaster response activities.

Other aircraft fleets are also active: Coulson Aviation reports on its N561CG currently making the journey back to North America after completing its contract in Australia. Here’s a nice photo in Pago Pago, Samoa at sunset.

A report commissioned by Avincis – the largest provider of aerial services across Europe – concludes that Europe is dangerously unprepared to tackle an increase in wildfires and must expand its aerial firefighting capabilities and investment.

Avincis brought together a group of academics, business leaders and professional firefighters to produce the report, released at the Aerial Fire Fighting Series: Global Conference and Exhibition, in Rome, Italy, in March. This follows a record-breaking wildfire season in 2025, which saw more than 1.03 million hectares burn across the EU – more than any year on record – with 81 per cent of the damage concentrated in just five countries.

The report – ‘Up in flames: The challenges of fighting wildfires from the air in a hotter Europe’ – says the size and age of Europe’s aerial firefighting fleet is the most acute operational vulnerability. The €600 million commitment by the European Parliament in 2024 to procure 22 DHC-515 aircraft – amphibious firefighting aircraft developed by De Havilland Canada – across six countries, with deliveries staggered between 2027 and 2030, is welcomed by the industry but is far from sufficient.             

The fleet shortage is compounded by a shortage of pilots and aircrew with difficult arrangements for foreign crews to assist.