Airbus Boosting Capabilities to Help Fight Fires Ravaging Europe
(Bloomberg) -- Airbus SE, the worldâs largest planemaker, is looking for ways to play a bigger role in fighting wildfires as flames engulf parts of
(Bloomberg) -- Airbus SE, the worldâs largest planemaker, is looking for ways to play a bigger role in fighting wildfires as flames engulf parts of France and Spain, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate. The European manufacturer has accelerated work on its A400M, a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft, to boost its firefighting capabilities so that it can support missions by Franceâs government and air force to bring the blazes under control, Airbus Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury told journalists on Wednesday.
âWe think there are reasons to believe this type of solution will be more in demand and that we will have to further support the governments and the agencies,â Faury said. âNot only the number but also the severity of those fires is really unique,â he added. Seven NATO nations â Belgium, Croatia, France, Poland, Spain, Turkey and the UK â announced an initiative earlier this month to establish a multinational A400M fleet.
Faury said Airbus could pull together capabilities from across its business â from earth observation satellites and drones to planes and helicopters â to provide a comprehensive solution for detecting and preventing fires. Spain and France have been at the epicenter of Europeâs wildfire season, which came early this year and accelerated as successive heat waves baked vegetation, making it easier for flames to spread rapidly. More than 200,000 residents and tourists have been forced to flee the blazes in southwest France.
The Toulouse, France-based planemaker does not have a dedicated firefighting aircraft like the fleet thatâs been built by Canadian aerospace companies. Converted Boeing Co. 747 aircraft have been used in the past to help fight wildfires. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
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