The Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs has signed a contract for the services of two emergency helicopters, two coordination and emergency helicopters and a coordination aircraft, for the period between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2026, for an amount of 14,000,000 euros.
The Minister, Salomé Pradas, said that “the importance of this contract is given by the Generalitat’s duty to deal with any type of emergency in matters of health or civil protection that occurs in our territory, seeking elements that allow us to further improve on the quality that is being provided.”
Pradas added, “it is important to highlight that this package includes the provision of services related to the operation of the aircraft and the missions for which they are assigned, so that their effectiveness when coordinating simultaneous aerial resources in emergencies, such as large forest fires, is greater.”
She explained that “for the first time, specialist personnel in aerial coordination for forest fires are included in the contract, which will allow for a better response to large forest fires.” In addition to this operation, complementary elements related to the adaptation and maintenance of air bases are also included.
The contracted aircraft may be used for other emergency and civil protection missions, such as fires in non-forest vegetation or observation and evaluation of emergencies, which can be carried out without additional equipment.
The contract may be extended for a maximum duration of five years for an annual amount that is close to 20 million euros. This includes the contracting of the six helicopters of the helitransported units of the Forest Fire Service of the Generalitat, as well as the forest firefighting aircraft, both amphibious and ground cargo.
