Interior Minister José Luis Carneiro wants to guarantee “at least” 60 air resources this year, the same number as last year, for the most critical moment of firefighting.
“We believe that we can achieve the goal, which is to have the same air resources as in 2022. And, if everything goes well, beyond expectations, we can strengthen them, but we depend on the market. “, the Socialist leader told reporters in Guimarães, near Braga.
The obstacle to increasing the number of aircraft is not the lack of money, which is guaranteed by the ministries of the interior, finance and national defense, but the market, he stressed.
José Luis Carneiro clarified that the war in Europe, the lack of pilots and the fact that European countries that did not have fires but now do and therefore also need to rent aircraft, are creating “strong pressure” on the market.
He added that the lack of air resources and demand lead to a sharp increase in costs.
Negotiations are underway both in Portugal and in Europe, he said, so that Portugal will receive the necessary funds to extinguish the fires between July 1 and September 30, a period considered critical.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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