France’s civil protection corps has ordered a Bombardier 415 firefighting amphibian, replacing an aircraft lost in a fatal accident over Corsica in August last year. The aircraft is the first sold by Bombardier since it decided to restart production of the twin-turboprop flying boat. The 415 will be delivered before the European fire season opens in May, says Bombardier, joining the 10 aircraft remaining from France’s original order for 12. The Canadian manufacturer, which had halted production of the amphibian, plans to ramp back up to four aircraft a year.
Source: Flight International
