Our team was present on site throughout the event, engaging directly with key stakeholders at Booth 112. The participation provided a valuable opportunity to exchange operational insights, discuss fleet requirements, and explore the capabilities of the AT-802 platform — both in its land-based AT-802F configuration and as the Fire Boss amphibious tanker — with operators and institutions actively working to strengthen their aerial firefighting response.

The event took place in a particularly relevant context. Demand for specialized aerial firefighting assets continues to grow across Europe and globally, driven by the increasing frequency and severity of wildfire seasons. Aerial Fire Fighting Global 2026 brought together senior representatives from national agencies, governments, and manufacturers to address capacity gaps, cross-border coordination, and the long-term planning required to build sustainable aerial firefighting fleets.

For Aviation Trade Europe, participation in this event reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting operators and authorities with proven, cost-effective solutions based on the AT-802 platform — an aircraft that remains a cornerstone of aerial firefighting operations worldwide.

We look forward to continuing to build on the relationships established in Bordeaux and contributing to the growth and strength of aerial firefighting capabilities in the future.

Over three days, the event will bring together air operators, government authorities, civil protection leaders, manufacturers, engineering firms, and technical experts from around the world to analyze the sector’s main challenges, share operational experiences, and present the latest technological innovations applied to aerial extinction.

📍 Rome
📅 March 24–26, 2026
🏢 Stand 112

A Strategic Meeting Point for the Sector

Aerial Fire Fighting Global 2026 is much more than a trade show. It is a high-level international forum addressing key issues such as:

• Modernization and expansion of air fleets.
• Operational strategies for new-generation wildfires.
• Coordination between aerial and ground resources.
• Incorporation of advanced technology in firefighting missions.
• Pilot training and improvement of safety standards.
• Adaptation to the impact of climate change on fire management.

In a context where wildland fires are increasingly frequent, intense, and complex, aerial response capability becomes a critical element within the global strategy for civil protection and land management.

Aviation Trade Europe: Specialized Solutions for Aerial Fire Fighting

Aviation Trade Europe’s presence in Rome reflects its commitment to the development and strengthening of the aerial capabilities of its clients in Europe and other international markets.

At our stand 112, we will present the Air Tractor options:

• Air Tractor AT-802
• Air Tractor AT-802 Fire Boss

These options have become benchmarks in the segment of medium-load single-engine aircraft for fire fighting, notable for:

• High operational efficiency.
• Optimized operating costs.
• Versatility in different geographical environments.
• Load capacity and speed in attack cycles.
• Mechanical reliability and structural robustness.

In particular, the Fire Boss version provides a strategic advantage by allowing amphibious operations through water scooping from the surface, reducing cycle times and increasing effectiveness in areas with available water resources.

Beyond the Aircraft: Comprehensive Vision

At Aviation Trade Europe, we understand that aerial fire fighting does not solely depend on the aircraft but on a comprehensive vision that includes:

• Strategic fleet planning.
• Analysis of operational needs.
• Financing and acquisition models.
• Technical support and maintenance.
• Pilot training and updates.
• Asset performance optimization.

Our participation in Aerial Fire Fighting Global 2026 will be an opportunity to engage in dialogue with operators and authorities on how to improve coordination with local ground services (firefighters, forest brigades, etc.), reinforce their current capabilities, and plan the future growth of their aerial means.

Welcome to Operators and Authorities

We warmly welcome all sector professionals attending the fair to visit us at stand 112 to:

• Analyze fleet expansion projects.
• Evaluate the incorporation of AT-802 and Fire Boss solutions.
• Study models for improving operational capacity.
• Explore strategic collaboration opportunities.

We firmly believe that international cooperation, technological innovation, and strategic planning are fundamental pillars for building more effective and resilient aerial response systems.

Let’s build the future of aerial fire response together

The evolution of fire risk demands a parallel evolution in aerial capabilities. At Aviation Trade Europe, we work to offer solid, efficient solutions prepared for current and future challenges.

See you in Rome.

Stand 112 – March 24 to 26, 2026

Our president, Vicente Huerta stated that “We are delighted to announce our contract for 31 Fire Boss. In addition to this multi-year order, ATE has purchased over 80 sets of floats for the European market” further stating that “If we look to the future, the threat of forest fires extends throughout the year. “It is vital that we create a fleet that can support our new reality.”

For his part, Chuck Wiplinger, president and CEO of Wipaire, the company that owns Fire Boss, stated that “We believe that the excellent performance of Fire Boss, together with the operational experience of Air Tractor Europe, will greatly improve firefighting efforts. forest fires” further stated “This order further cements the long-term partnership between our two companies and their commitment to providing fast and safe air support throughout Europe.”

These agreements and the permanent effort to improve services, through training and incorporating talent, in addition to investment in infrastructure and technologies, are helping us achieve excellent results and excellent future prospects.

As a recurring sponsor and active participant, Air Tractor Europe deployed its latest innovations in firefighting techniques, highlighting the efficiency of the AT-802 to obtain the best results. In addition, the event had the distinguished presence of the presidents of Air Tractor Europe and Air Tractor Inc., giving special relevance to this year’s event.

During the two-day conference cycle, crucial topics were addressed such as suggestions and improvements for the rescEU system (civil protection mechanism of the European Union), the need for aerial means in the face of the increase in fires in Europe and the effectiveness of the rapid response as a firefighting strategy.

Air Tractor Europe also had an outstanding participation in the conference event with the presentation titled “A Paradigm Change: Tools and Strategies against New Fires”, which generated great interest among attendees, awakening curiosity about new prevention techniques. and fire fighting.

Strategic Collaborations and Business Opportunities: A Historic Agreement

Beyond being a platform for the exhibition of products, AFFE 2023 was established as a space conducive to the creation of networks and strategic collaborations. Air Tractor Europe took this opportunity to close a historic agreement: the acquisition of 31 AT-802 aircraft from Air Tractor Inc. This commitment strengthens the working and professional relationship between both companies, and helps consolidate Air Tractor’s position in the European market. .

We look forward to seeing how Air Tractor Europe will contribute to the continued evolution of the global wildfire response.

Turkey is a high-risk area for forest fires due to its long summers, low humidity, high temperatures, and strong winds. In the summer of 2021, the impact of the forest fires was very high, more than 250,000 hectares were burned, there were a high number of victims and considerable economic damage.

In 2022, Titan Firefighting Company, a Spanish company with extensive experience in fighting forest fires through the use of AT-802 aircraft, joined the firefighting team. The incorporation of this company helped reduce the area burned in that year to 15,000 hectares. The key to success has been in the speed and efficiency in the operations carried out through the AT-802 and a high level of preparation and organization. This allowed many fires to be extinguished in the first hours of the fire, something that is essential to ensure that the fires do not get out of control and become unapproachable. In addition, this increase and improvement of the firefighting equipment allowed them to collaborate in firefighting by sending planes to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Georgia, two international operations in which great success was achieved.

The evaluation of the improvements achieved with the incorporation of the Air Tractor AT-802 are what has prompted the Turkish government to purchase these 20 aircraft. The purchase contract establishes the incorporation of 4 aircraft per year, with the expectation that by 2027 Turkey will have a complete fleet of its own aircraft to fight fires.

At Air Tractor Europe we are proud of the work carried out and the commitment acquired, both in the provision of aircraft and training and education, as well as in their maintenance, spare parts and technical support at the place of operation.

We thank Turkey for its confidence in Air Tractor Europe.

We hope it has been of interest to you, if you want to know more about the possibilities of our aircraft and services to help in the fight against forest fires you can contact us. We take this opportunity to offer you our Visual Guide on Forest Fire Fighting through the following form:

Get Visual Guide

This joint announcement was made during the Aerial Fire Fighting Europe 2022 Exhibition held in Nimes, France. At the presentation, our CEO Rafael Selma, stated: “We at Air Tractor Europe were early adopters of the Fire Boss. Since 2003 we have delivered more than 75 across Europe. With this order, we are positioned to expand further into markets that recognize the advantage of fast and accurate initial attack and want lower operating costs than other tankers on the market.

Clint E. Clouatre, Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Fire Boss, LLC, said, “This unprecedented order solidifies the acceptance of the initial attack strategy for aerial fire suppression in Europe. It is the most economical and environmentally friendly option for successfully fighting wildfires.” Later Stephen Johnson, Director of Global Sales for Fire Boss LLC, added: “Our partner, Air Tractor Europe, is leading the way for Fire Boss’ success in this territory and is key to new countries utilizing this efficient platform.”

Some key points of this partnership announcement are:

• Air Tractor Europe is the exclusive distributor of Air Tractor for Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. It has a long history of experience, having been founded in 1965, and has been an official Air Tractor distributor since 1996.
• Some of the capabilities that ATE possesses and that have earned it the trust of Fire Boss and allowed it to grow in its market are:
• It has a wide structure for the provision of integral services of advice, sales, maintenance, consultancy, training and air operation.
• It has aircraft facilities in Castellón, Spain, which include an EASA145 maintenance center and an AT802 repair center with avionics, engine and propeller capabilities. In addition, it has a CAMO+ center, an EASA147 training center, a flight school for ground and amphibious training, and an FTD level 2 simulator for both ground and amphibious AT802.
• The Fire Boss is an AT802F Air Tractor modified to improve its operability.
• The Fire Boss consists of Wipline 10000A amphibious floats designed and built by Wipaire.
• The Fire Response Dispersion System (FRDS) is computer controlled to achieve optimum water drop on target using the Gen III fire door.
• With this order, Fire Boss will reach the milestone of more than 160 deliveries worldwide.

We look forward to continue achieving challenges and bringing good news about the milestones achieved by Air Tractor Europe.

At the event we had the opportunity to maintain contacts with customers and industry players, showing them the latest developments in our aircraft and services provided and exchanging knowledge and experiences on the challenges of fire fighting at the present time.

In line with this objective of providing knowledge to the agents of the sector, we have participated in the cycle of conferences with the lecture “Present and future of forest fires” given by Mr. Hugo Arceo, sales director of ATE, in which the main characteristics of the current forest fires and the forecasts of future evolution have been presented, showing some of the best techniques to address them. We remind you that from Air Tractor Europe we have published a Visual Guide on Forest Fire Extinction that you can download here.

We thank all of you who have visited us for your interest, and we remind all customers and partners that we remain at your disposal in our facilities, where we will attend all your queries.

On this occasion we will participate with a very special partner, Fire Boss. We will have a booth to serve our customers and inform all industry players about our products and services for fire fighting.

Once again, we will participate in the cycle of conferences with the aim of disseminating the knowledge we have acquired in aerial firefighting. On May 19, Hugo Arceo, Air Tractor Europe Sales Manager, will speak at the conference “Present & Future of Forest Fires”.

If you attend AFFE2022, don’t forget to visit us!!!