A document accessed through the Ministry of Transport’s transparency portal shows that two of the three CN235 aircraft assigned to Salvamento Marítimo’s emergency aviation services were out of service at various times this summer, leaving only one plane ready to operate across the Canaries, Galicia, and Valencia. This report highlights how a single aircraft could be available during peak periods, raising concerns about readiness for rapid response missions across several regions.
The three CN235 models, numbered SASEMAR 101, 102, and 103, are military aircraft registered with civil identifiers. As a result, only pilots from Salvamento Marítimo’s air service are cleared to fly them in civilian contexts, a constraint that shapes how the fleet can be deployed during emergencies. This detail comes from official records accessed via the transparency portal and reflects the regulatory framework governing civilian use of military assets.
Official documents dated June 27 indicate that CN235 102 had already been operated by the UTE formed by World Aviation and Elit’Avia, a Malta-based aviation provider. Industry insiders note that the pattern of having only one aircraft in operation persisted on several days throughout the summer, underscoring ongoing fragility in fleet availability during peak periods.
In this case, the aircraft was temporarily out of service due to an inspection of the tail hardware prompted by an airworthiness directive from aviation authorities. The issue has since been resolved, and the aircraft is now operating from Valencia, restoring a measure of capability to cover emergencies in that region.
CN235 101 appears to be the aircraft that Salvamento Marítimo and World Aviation have pointed to Avincis for not returning assets needed to complete the contract transition. The official record corroborates Avincis’s stance that the plane is undergoing an annual maintenance review required by the aircraft’s maintenance program. The Alicante-based company explains that this maintenance is conducted at Salvamento Marítimo’s explicit request and despite the contract having ended. Meanwhile, the aircraft serving the Canaries, registered 103, has reportedly remained fully operable.
It is noted that a new contract for managing the emergency aircraft was awarded to the UTE formed by World Aviation and Elit’Avia on July 18, 2023, almost a year before the operational difficulties began. This timeline places the maintenance and readiness challenges within a broader transition period for the fleet and its management.
Sources point to a maintenance bottleneck related to spare parts for the sole aircraft grounded at the Santiago de Compostela base, SASEMAR 101. The aircraft are described as quite old, and Airbus has reportedly not manufactured new parts to finish the repair, forcing operators to seek components from other airframes. At this base, Salvamento Marítimo has indicated that a Partenavia P68, a smaller Italian-built aircraft, is being used as a temporary substitute while the CN235 fleet awaits parts and clearance.
Officials note that the moment when two of the three Salvamento Marítimo aircraft were described as inoperative appears to coincide with the start of the six‑month transition period between contractors, a period marked by persistent challenges and adjustments across multiple fronts in the service delivery.
In the tender documentation, five parameters are defined to determine what constitutes an effective air unit: the presence of a large aircraft, its base location, operating hours, the readiness and response of the crew, and overall operability. During the transition between operators, the specification explicitly states that all air units should be in service by August 27, 2024. With one or more aircraft currently out of service, that milestone remains short of full achievement as of today.
Additionally, Salvamento Marítimo states that until World Aviation receives aviation- authority authorization equivalent to what the previous contractor enjoyed, operations during crew rest periods cannot resume. In the midst of the migratory crisis, there are windows when Sasemar 103 in the Canary Islands cannot be activated, highlighting the practical impact of regulatory approvals on emergency response availability and regional coverage.
Overall, the situation illustrates how fleet aging, spare parts constraints, and regulatory alignment shape the capacity of critical maritime rescue assets during a transitional period between operators, emphasizing the ongoing need for stable supply chains and timely approvals to ensure uninterrupted emergency readiness across the affected regions.