Cypriot firefighters concluded on Saturday their mission to assist in combating the major wildfires in France. National Civil Protection Coordinator, Chief Fire Officer Nikos Logginos, told CNA that the support crew returns to Cyprus on Saturday evening on a private flight, while the two firefighting aircraft and their pilots are expected to arrive on Sunday.
Mission accomplished
During their deployment, the Cypriot aircraft carried out a large number of firefighting operations, conducting repeated water drops and contributing significantly both to tackling the active fire front and suppressing flare-ups. Mr Logginos said the mission was completed as the situation in the operational area is now stable and the wildfire has been brought under control.
The journey home
The two aircraft departed on Saturday morning from the Perpignan area in southwestern France, where they had been based throughout the operation. Due to the long distance involved, they will make refuelling stops in Sardinia, Lameziain Italy and Souda in Crete before departing for Paphos on Sunday morning.
The rescEU deployment
Cyprus responded to a request from France through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism rescEU by deploying the two aircraft to reinforce firefighting operations. As Mr Logginos had previously noted, the deployment was made possible because the situation in Cyprus allowed the aircraft to be temporarily assigned to support efforts in France.
