Help is on the way!

After almost a decade, specialized firefighting plane back in production

- MONIQUE MULIMA AND JOHN AINGER

A Spanish Canadair hydroplane drops water above a wildfire raging through Pico do Arieiro and Pico Ruivo mountain range in August. De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd., which acquired the rights to the aircraft in 2016, has reached new agreements with European Union countries this year to provide 22 DHC-515 firefighter planes, the brand successor of the Canadair.

After the world posted its worst year for wildfires, with an area roughly the size of Nicaragua scorched in 2023, one plane model has become the most important aircraft on Earth.

A specialized amphibious firefighting plane-commonly called a Canadair after its original manufacturer is unique in the market for its size and manoeuvreability.

It can hold as much as 6,137 litres of water about 20 bathtubs full and travel at more than 322 kilometres per hour. In a quick swoop, the planes scoop up water from lakes or seas filling up in 12 seconds and fly as low as 30 meters above burning infernos to douse flames.

As climate change makes wildfires more frequent and intense around the world, these acrobatic waterbombers are needed now more than they've ever been before. Yet they were out of production for almost 10 years.

This has now changed.