LISBON, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Portugal is to increase and upgrade its fleet of firefighting aircraft via an international public tender, the government announced on Thursday.
A budget of 60 million euros (71 million U.S. dollars) is to be made available to increase the fleet from 41 aircraft to 50, minister of internal administration Eduardo Cabrita told local reporters.
These measures come as a response to what has been a devastating year of wildfires in Portugal. Over 100 people have been killed and vast swathes of countryside and farmland have been destroyed.
The expanded fleet will comprise 38 light helicopters, used in monitoring and fighting the early stages of a fire, and 12 amphibious aircraft, designed to tackle large-scale wildfires.
The new aircraft will also have increased flying capacity and will no longer be restricted to 12 airborne hours per day.
The fleet can be used all year round and not just in the summer months.
The government announced a sixty-day consultation process to study how best to transfer management of the fleet to the Air Force from the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC).
