Portugal currently has 60 firefighting air assets, the same number as in 2022, with three more on the way, Interior Minister José Luis Carneiro said on Tuesday.
“Today we already have 60 air resources, and therefore the first goal has been achieved, which was to have at least the same air resources as in 2022,” José Luis Carneiro told reporters at the university administration Porto.
A government official spoke to reporters after the opening of MAI Tech, a security and civil protection technology conference hosted by the Home Office.
“We already had more land resources, more human resources, we have more budgetary and financial resources, and we already have the same amount of air resources as in 2022,” said José Luis Carneiro after receiving this information on Tuesday from the president. National Emergency and Civil Protection Service (ANEPC), Duarte da Costa.
According to the minister, according to the information received, “it is expected that in the coming hours, in the coming days” “three more aircraft will be received”, given that “the funds are adequate” for what was “preparation for the summer, which will be very difficult.”
Asked about the goal of having 72 air assets in early July, José Luis Carneiro said that the Ministry of National Defense, which is in charge of procuring assets from the market, is “working and doing everything possible” to achieve this goal.
“Given the difficulties of the market, given that we have a war in Europe, the countries of northern Europe are also looking for air resources, when they did not need them before, and now they also have fires, and also a shortage of pilots, has led to the fact that they themselves market prices have risen exponentially,” justifies José Luis Carneiro.
For the minister, “the most important thing is to prevent fires on days of special alarm,” recalling that two-thirds of fires in 2022 were caused by negligence.