Nicosia, 7 August 2024 (MIA) - Two Air Tractor planes and a crew of nine people from the Republic of Cyprus are set to arrive in Skopje on Wednesday afternoon, as part of the assistance for North Macedonia secured through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. They will be deployed to assist with the wildfires in Sveti Nikole and Chashka as of Thursday, MIA’s Athens correspondent reports.

The Forestry Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus said that “upon the order of the head of the Department, Savvas Iezekiel, and in consultation with Minister Maria Panayiotou, assistance is being deployed to the Republic of North Macedonia through the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism in order to deal with the forest fires in the Chashka and Sveti Nikole areas,” the country’s Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos was also informed. 

The two airplanes, with four members of the crew and five ground support staff, departed from the Paphos airport at 10:15 am and towards the international airport in Skopje, with a refueling stop in Rhodes. They are expected to arrive in Skopje at around 5 pm. 

The aircraft are expected to join the efforts to combat the wildfires on Thursday morning and remain in the country for five days. 

According to the Forestry Department, the planes are equipped with the suitable equipment for extinguishing and foam use, as well as with telecommunications equipment for communication with the air unit in Larnaca and the transmission of information and photographic material. 

The two planes have been a part of the rescEU mechanism since June 2024 and this is their first mission. 

Photo: Forestry Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus