Cyprus deploys firefighting aircraft to France

The Republic of Cyprus has deployed two Air Tractor firefighting aircraft to France to assist in battling large-scale wildfires, following a request through the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism. The aircraft, identified as Forest 3 and Forest 4, departed Cyprus at 6:30 am on Monday accompanied by a crew of two pilots, an observer, and an engineer. Due to travel delays at intermediate airport stops, the aircraft landed in Sardinia and are scheduled to resume their journey to Perpignan, France, on Wednesday at 9:00 am. A separate support team of eight individuals arrived in France via commercial flight on Monday evening and is expected to coordinate with French Civil Protection authorities on Wednesday. The firefighting aircraft are part of the EU's rescEU reserve, which is stationed in Cyprus for emergency response. This operation is part of a broader European initiative to address severe wildfires currently affecting France, Portugal, and other regions. French authorities officially activated the support mechanism on July 5, following significant fire damage in various areas.