Three new aircraft for firefighting are expected to be added to Albania’s air fleet, according to statements made in Parliament by the head of Civil Emergencies, Haki Çako. The official said the contract has been finalized, while two aircraft are expected to arrive in December and the third in March 2027.
What was declared in the committee
During a briefing to the Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs and Defense, Çako presented the official version from the institutions on dealing with fires and the condition of the air fleet.
According to him, with the arrival of the three new aircraft, the fleet will be considered complete for 2027, when it is expected to reach full capacity. He said the first two aircraft will arrive in December, while the third will arrive in March 2027.
The official claim for the 2026 season
According to Haki Çako, during 2026 Albania did not request assistance from the European Civil Protection Mechanism for fires. He linked this to the readiness of the air fleet which, according to his reporting, includes 3 Cougar helicopters, 2 Black Hawks and 2 Air Tractor aircraft.
In the committee, this was presented as one of the operational successes of the year. However, the statement remains part of the official reporting and was not accompanied by further detailed data on the total cost, the specific use of the assets, or comparative efficiency with previous years.
Help from Europe does not appear to be free
In the same briefing, Çako acknowledged that in 2025 Albania had requested assistance from partner countries in the European Civil Protection Mechanism and had received 22 aerial assets to deal with the fires.
He explained that this assistance did not come without cost for the Albanian side. According to the version presented in Parliament, the government covered part of the expenses through membership in the European mechanism, as well as part of the operational costs. The message delivered by the director of Civil Emergencies was direct: international assistance does not come without a bill.
The questions that remain over the contract and costs
Although it was said that the contract for the aircraft has been finalized, the briefing did not make public other essential elements, such as its value, the full implementation deadlines, or the financial details related to operating the new fleet.
On an issue that directly affects civil safety and public money, transparency over the contract, maintenance costs and the real effect on the ground remains just as important as the announcement of the arrival of the new assets.
For now, what is officially known is that two aircraft are expected to arrive in December and the third in March 2027, while the government presents this as the completion of the aerial firefighting fleet.
It remains to be seen whether this promise will also be accompanied by full data on the contract and the real financial burden that this scheme passes on to the state budget.