The British Columbia, Canada-based aerial firefighting group, Conair, announced the purchase of several new aircraft. On August 9, Conair published a statement indicating it has purchased seven new De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft. The aircraft purchased will be converted to air tankers prior to delivery and will subsequently be used for aerial firefighting.

Aircraft order details

The seven new aircraft that were purchased by Conair were purchased from Kirk Aviation. Kirk Aviation is based in Europe, which means the new aircraft will be ferried to Canada. The seven Dash 8s will arrive in Mississauga for storage before being moved to British Columbia. When the aircraft arrive in Abbotsford, British Columbia, each of them will be converted to the new air tanker configuration. Conair expects the conversion to take part this upcoming winter.

Photo: Gustav Klot Photography

The President and Chief Executive Officer of Conair, Matt Bradley, spoke about the new additions to the fleet. He stated,

"Countries are facing escalating wildfire behavior. And many are challenged by limited aerial firefighting resources or aging fleets in need of modernization to ensure the firetruck in the sky is ready to dispatch when the call comes. Supply of modern, large air tankers is limited. Our purchase gives us the ability to support countries as they adapt to the changing wildfire environment, continuing to protect their citizens and resources using air assets."

Previously, in 2021, Conair purchased eleven Dash 8-400 aircraft. These aircraft replaced its aging fleet of air tankers and allowed the company to expand its firefighting abilities. Currently, Conair has four of these aircraft contracted in British Columbia, two in Alaska, one in Australia, and one in France. Additionally, two are contracted through Conair's US-based subsidiary, Aero-Flite, in the state of Washington. By the end of the year, Conair will have contracted all of its air tanker aircraft from previous orders.

The newly purchased Dash 8s will be used similarly to the Dash 8s in Conair's previous orders. The new aircraft will replace its aging fleet but will also be contracted out to various government agencies across the world.

Photo: Tim Burnett

The Vice President of Business Development of Conair, Jeff Berry, spoke about the new purchase. He said,

"The purchase of seven additional aircraft for conversion offers countries an answer to the question of how to fight future wildfires. They can proactively build their response capacity for upcoming fire seasons by contracting the most modern air tanker available in the world today. Conair will convert these aircraft over the next two years, selling the air tankers direct to governments who own and operate their own fleet, or by providing long-term operational contracts through either Conair or Aero-Flite."

Adding fixed-wing aircraft

Currently, Conair operates the largest fixed-wing fleet of aerial firefighting aircraft in the world. Its current fleet, which totals over 70 aircraft is broken down into two categories, bird dogs and water bombers.

Bird dogs are used as air attack aircraft and ensure that runs by air water tankers are clear of debris or obstacles. This includes aircraft such as Cessna Caravans, Piper Aerostars, or Cessna Citation jets. Air tankers dump large amounts of retardant on wildfire-affected areas to prevent fires from spreading. This includes aircraft such as Air Tractors or DHC Dash 8s.