Firefighting Aircraft Market Size (2024 - 2029)

Firefighting Aircraft Market Analysis

The Firefighting Aircraft Market size is estimated at USD 7.28 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 10.16 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 6.89% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

Firefighting aircraft need large containers for liquid storage. These include tanks in the airplane hold area, external tanks, or a combination. The tank helps store water or any other retardant, which is used to extinguish the fire by dropping it from the aircraft. Increasingly, the higher severity and frequency of wildfires worldwide are driving the demand for technological advancements in firefighting aircraft in terms of increasing payload capacities and operational range.

Technological advances include increases in payload capacities, operational range, and accuracy of retardant deployment. Government investments in wildfire management and aerial firefighting fleets are driving the market. Some of the widely used firefighting aircraft are Boeing B747, McDonnell Douglas DC-10, and BAe 146 aerial firefighting aircraft.

The market's growth is hampered by challenges such as the high cost of operations, stringent regulatory standards for aviation safety, and environmental concerns over the chemicals used in fighting fires. The high cost of operations is among the severe challenges faced by the firefighting aircraft market, mainly attributed to higher fuel costs, maintenance costs, and specialized equipment requirements.

Firefighting Aircraft Industry Segmentation

Aerial firefighting, also known as waterbombing, uses aircraft and other aerial resources to combat wildfires. Firefighting aircraft include fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft that coordinate with ground crews to hold and extinguish wildfires. These aircraft often form the initial attack force for a fire or provide over-the-fire support during suppression activities for firefighters on the ground.

The firefighting aircraft market is segmented by aircraft type, maximum take-off weight, and geography. By aircraft type, the market is segmented into rotorcraft and fixed-wing. By maximum take-off weight, the market is classified into the below 50,000 kg and above 50,000 kg segments. Also, the report covers the market size and forecasts for the firefighting aircraft market in major countries across different regions including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. For each segment, the market size is provided in terms of value (USD).