There is controversy in Sardinia over the provision of fire-fighting helicopters for the forestry corps. Summer 2024 will see only five aircraft out of the 14 required. It emerges from the opening of the envelopes of the new tender, which took place in recent days in Cagliari. Accusations are pouring in against the Region: ex-Solinas Council, someone report, would have launched a "blind" tender, with operators not having the possibility of quantifying the margins for an expensive service.

In detail, the tender involves the assignment of the aerial firefighting service for the period 2024 to 2026: three helicopters managed by the Campania operator E+S Air will be located at the bases of Anela, Farcana and Pola (lot 3); two other aircraft operated by the Piedmontese Eliossola will be based in Villasalto (lot 5).

Three other lots received no bids: a "Super Puma" in Fenosu (lot 1); four helicopters in Limbara, Alà dei Sardi, Fenosu and Marganai (lot 2); and three vehicles in San Cosimo, Bosa and Sorgono (lot 4). A flop that follows that of February 28th when the 10.5 million Euro tender for an Erickson S-64 "Air Crane" expired without any suitor making a proposal. Now the Region will have to rework the procedure.