Madeira’s long-promised second aerial firefighting helicopter has still not entered service, even though the Regional Government says the agreement with the State has now been signed. On Tuesday, Regional Government President Miguel Albuquerque said the protocol between the Regional Government and the Republic had been completed and that the State would pay for both the aircraft and its crew. He did not provide a delivery date, saying the next step depends on a public procurement process being handled by the Ministry of Defence through the Portuguese Air Force. Albuquerque said the key point was that the State had accepted the responsibility previously committed to by this Government, and that the helicopter would go to Madeira once the tender is awarded. The issue resurfaced on Wednesday when Juntos Pelo Povo (JPP) deputy and Vice-President of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira, Rafael Nunes, criticised the continued delay. He recalled that the helicopter was first expected in July 2025 and later moved to July 2026, but with July now ending, no confirmed arrival has been announced. Nunes warned that the Region is in the Delta phase of rural fire risk and said the delay is especially serious while the Government of the Republic has already announced a reinforced national aerial firefighting fleet of 81 aircraft for mainland Portugal.
