Repeated breakdowns, lack of maintenance technicians… The Canadairs of Nîmes-Garons still regularly grounded in this risky summer

The aging fleet of Canadairs is facing recurring breakdown problems. Midi Libre – MICHAEL ESDOURRUBAILH

Faced with recurring breakdown problems, the Canadairs based in Nîmes-Garons are regularly grounded. The cause is a maintenance problem. After the exceptional fires of the summer of 2022, the President of the Republic had nevertheless announced emergency measures.

While the risk of forest fires is at its highest in the departments of the former Languedoc-Roussillon and the weather forecasts predict scorching temperatures for this weekend of Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 August, the aerial resources for fighting forest fires are, more than ever, facing enormous difficulties. Civil Security flight personnel have repeatedly warned about the age of the Canadair fleet, as Midi Libre pointed out at the start of the summer.

Problem of financing, maintenance and regular breakdowns, only three Canadairs out of the twelve normally available to civil security on the Nîmes-Garons base were available this Friday, August 9, according to a source. The trackers, too old, remain nailed to the ground. "We are suffering", confirms Benoît Quennepoix, secretary general of the national union of civil aviation flight crew.

"At the start of the week, five Canadairs set off on a fire in Aude, they all broke down before the end of the mission. " The devices returned to base, one of them was even diverted to Béziers. "That same evening, we only had two Canadairs available based in Corsica."

This Friday, August 10 and Saturday, August 11, a pilot faced a breakdown "endangering flight safety" has decided to exercise his right of withdrawal.

Contacted, the civil security disputes these figures and wants to reassure. “the national air resources of the Civil Security include twelve Canadair, eight Dash and three Beech reconnaissance aircraft. They are complementary to the action carried out on the ground. They are an integral part of the effectiveness of the French strategy for fighting forest fires, 95% of which are extinguished before reaching 5 hectares."
Concerning repeated breakdowns, the civil security confirms the problem of the aging of the fleet. “The age of the Canadair fleet and their use in extreme conditions require heavy and constant maintenance to limit unavailability and breakdowns. The availability of this fleet is the subject of daily attention."

Six Canadairs available this Saturday, August 10

The civil security department assures that "ten Canadairs were available last weekend, several of them required more significant maintenance operations following fires in Hérault, Aude and Bouches-du-Rhône. For Thursday, August 8, seven Canadairs were available and five for Friday, August 9. Efforts to maintain the machines are continuing and will allow us to return to six Canadairs available this Saturday, August 10, and eight by Tuesday, August 13, in addition to other means of combat, whether aerial or terrestrial.

The problem of fleet renewal

In October 2022, the Court of Auditors already warned about the state of the civil security air fleet, pointing the finger at the Directorate General for Civil Security and Crisis Management (DGSCGC): “the lack of strategic vision limits its ability to face the major challenges of the worsening risk of forest fires and the renewal of the aircraft fleet”.

“Nothing has changed since then, at “On the contrary, the situation has worsened,” continues Benoît Quennepoix. The technicians of the company Sabena Technics, in charge of maintaining the devices“are facing enormous difficulties”related to”their working conditions. Resignations are coming thick and fast and recruitment is not keeping up. The situation is blocked”, he laments. The technicians went on strike last June and the civil security personnel jointly exercised their right to withdraw.

For its part, the civil security management assures that it has taken measures. “Since 2022, this situation has been anticipated and has resulted in the rental of private resources to supplement the fleet. This summer, to manage the forest fire season in the best conditions, ten helicopters and six light water bomber aircraft are rented, bringing the air fleet for fighting forest fires to 36 bomber aircraft. "

Macron had promised "an emergency air rearmament"

After the exceptional forest fires that had marked the summer of 2022, particularly in the Landes, Emmanuel Macron had announced an investment plan of 250 million euros for the "emergency air rearmament". "We are going to invest massively so that by the end of the five-year term in 2027, the twelve Canadairs already in service are replaced and their number is increased to 16" declared the President of the Republic. It seems that we are still far from the mark.

The civil security management simply announces that “the contract for the acquisition of two additional machines will be signed very soon, and an option has been placed for a new acquisition of two other machines in 2025. These machines will be delivered from 2028, according to the schedule announced by the manufacturer who manufactures them.”

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