VIDEO: Global Supertanker is shutting down operations permanently. The company, which has fought wildfires around the world, was not issued a renewal of their approval from the federal government.
The group will now search for a buyer for the Boeing 747 used to deliver fire retardant. All employees have been furloughed.
Up until recently, Tanker 944 spent several weeks in Moses Lake, Washington, undergoing maintenance including a requested change to a digital retardant delivery system. The plane was certified by the federal government to carry 17,200 pounds of retardant.
In an April 2020 National Wildfire Coordination Group letter to the head of the National Interagency Aviation Committee, a notice was given that renewal for use under a federal government contract would not be given.