Conair has purchased seven Dash 8-400 aircraft for conversion to airtankers, designed for aerial firefighting.
“Countries are facing escalating wildfire behaviour. 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,” said Matt Bradley, president and chief executive, Conair. “Supply of modern, large airtankers 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.”
In 2021, Conair purchased about eleven Dash 8-400 aircraft to replace its ageing fleet of airtankers, in addition to growing the fleet for new markets. Today Conair has four Dash 8-400 airtankers in British Columbia, two in Alaska, one in Australia and one in France on contract basis. Aero-Flite, Conair’s US-based subsidiary, has on contract two in Washington State. By the end of 2023, all aircraft from the initial 2021 purchase will be operating as airtankers, supporting government agencies on three continents.
“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 airtanker available in the world today. Conair will convert these aircraft over the next two years, selling the airtankers direct to governments who own and operate their own fleet, or by providing long-term operational contracts through either Conair or AeroFlite” commented Jeff Berry, vice president, business development. “We are producing a new airtanker every 75 days from our facility in Canada, with the ability to expand.”
The Dash 8-400 aircraft were purchased in 2023 from Kirk Aviation through Aergo Capital Asset Management. Originally based in Europe, they are being brought over to Canada and stored in Mississauga until being converted in Abbotsford, British Columbia, at Conair. The first will be converted into an airtanker this winter.