Greece approves purchase of seven firefighting planes from Canada

Greece on Thursday approved the purchase of seven firefighting aircraft from Canada to bolster its defences against wildfires, which have ravaged the country in recent years.

The deal passed by Parliament is to buy seven DHC-515 aircraft from the Canadian Commercial Corp for 361 million euros ($392 million).

The aircraft, purchased as part of a revamp of Greece's ageing fleet, will be delivered between 2027 and 2030, according to the agreement. The new aircraft can carry bigger quantities of water to dump on affected areas compared with the country's Canadair fleet, and fly for longer.

Two of the jets will be part of an EU RescEU reserve programme, which means that Greece can lend them to other EU countries in emergencies.

Summer wildfires have long been common in Greece, but rising temperatures and drought have made them more frequent and bigger and...