Greek Water Bombers Join Portugal’s Fight Against Raging Wildfires

A low, unmistakable rumble has become part of the summer soundtrack along Portugal’s central coast. Those engines belong to Greek-flagged Canadairs, freshly arrived to reinforce a firefighting front that, for many residents, feels almost permanent. Their yellow fuselage is more than hardware; it is a sign of European solidarity, a reminder that the peninsula’s worst fire season since 2021 has outgrown national resources.

What’s Happening Over Your Head?

As of this week two CL-415 water bombers sent by Greece are taking off from Base Aérea Nº 5 outside Leiria. They rolled onto the apron on 22 August and were folded directly into Portugal’s Special Rural Firefighting Unit. Each aircraft can scoop 6 000 litres in 12 seconds, throwing that payload on burning pine stands in the hills of Castelo Branco, Viseu and Coimbra. Lisbon originally asked for four heavy aircraft on 15 August; with Greece juggling its own blazes, Athens still carved out capacity to dispatch the pair until at least 29 August.

The EU Safety Net Behind the Deployment

The call-up tapped into the rescEU reserve, a 100 % EU-funded fleet parked across member states precisely for moments when national inventories run dry. Once the Interior Ministry in Lisbon hit the button, Brussels coordinated availability checks, fuel payments and ferry routes within hours. The same toolbox supplied two Swedish Fire Boss floatplanes and a French Super Puma helicopter, all now wearing Portuguese mission badges. For expats accustomed to do-it-yourself approaches elsewhere, this is how continental burden-sharing looks in practice: aircraft and crews move, not the fire.

Portugal’s Patchwork Air Wing in Late August

On paper Portugal leases two of its own Canadairs, yet both are grounded with mechanical failures and a third back-up is also out of service. To fill the gap the country now fields a mosaic of seven foreign aircraft—the Greek duo, the Swedish pair, France’s helicopter and two Morocco-based Canadairs borrowed under a separate bilateral accord. The arrangement is fluid; authorities warn that any of these assets can be redeployed to Spain or Italy should another surge erupt. For residents, the takeaway is simple: fire-response capacity is dynamic, not static.

Why Monte Real Became the Hub

Monte Real sits less than 40 km from the Atlantic, yet it offers quick access to both coastal lagoons and interior reservoirs where water scoops are staged. The base’s 11-kilometre perimeter road now hosts fuel bowsers, spare propellers and temporary barracks for a 50-strong international detachment. Pilots favour the runway because its prevailing winds align with the routes into the Serra da Lousã and Serra da Estrela, areas where rugged topography blocks conventional engines on the ground. For newcomers to Portugal, it is also worth noting that Leiria’s location allows sorties to reach Porto-district hot spots in under 30 minutes.

Fire Season 2025 by the Numbers

By 19 August more than 201 000 ha had burned—already eclipsing the entire 2024 tally. Three lives, including one firefighter, have been lost, and dozens of homes turned to ash. Meteorologists registered 45 °C in parts of Bragança on 3 August, prompting a nationwide ‘state of alert’ that remains in force. The pattern mirrors southern Europe but the scale is unusual for Portugal: aerial commanders logged 370 critical incidents in July alone, double the five-year average.

Day-to-Day Impacts for Foreign Residents and Visitors

Those planning inland hikes or road trips should monitor ANEPC’s online fire map before setting out. Temporary no-fly zones affect recreational drones, and leisure boats must keep clear of lakes such as Barragem do Cabril when Canadairs are skimming. Smoke plumes can push air-quality indices into the red; local pharmacies report brisk sales of FFP2 masks. Insurance brokers meanwhile confirm a spike in enquiries about policies that cover forest-fire damage, often overlooked by new arrivals focused on earthquake clauses.

The Long Game: Can Portugal Stand on Its Own Wings?

Successive governments have promised to end the annual scramble for leased hardware. The current plan earmarks €330 M for nine Black Hawk helicopters, two Canadairs and retrofit kits for C-130 transports by 2029. Critics—from the firefighters’ federation to forestry scientists—say that tally is insufficient given maintenance cycles and the ageing fleet. They argue a minimum of four amphibious planes is essential to guarantee cover when one is down for repairs. Parliament’s budget committee is now auditing whether chronic outsourcing has morphed into a pricey habit that benefits private lessors more than taxpayers.

Looking Forward

Forecast models show elevated fire risk until early September, after which Atlantic fronts usually bring relief. Even so, authorities hint that foreign aircraft might remain on standby into October if drought persists. For the international community calling Portugal home, the message is clear: fires are a fact of life, and Europe’s airborne safety net is likely to remain stitched into Portuguese summers for the foreseeable future.