Coulson Aviation Continues to Expand Fleet and Aerial Firefighting Capabilities Through Acquisition of Boeing 737-700 Aircraft Platform

Port Alberni, British Columbia – May 23, 2024 – Coulson Aviation is excited to announce the arrival of the company’s first Boeing 737-700 aircraft to be converted to the world’s highest capacity Large Air Tanker (LAT). The first of up to ten aircraft, Coulson is proud to continue its relationship with Southwest Airlines, who has supplied Coulson with the company’s entire 737 fleet to date.  

“Our new 737-700 Next Gen FIRELINER program will build on our existing 737-300 platform which has been extremely successful for us,” says Britt Coulson, President and COO of Coulson Aviation. “The FIRELINER platform has been the go-to Large Air Tanker for foreign governments to purchase due to its unique multi-role capability allowing it to transport passengers when not deployed on active firefighting missions as well as supports a streamlined process in finding both flight and maintenance crew and aircraft parts.”   

The Next Gen FIRELINER will raise the bar for LATs worldwide with its increased 5,000 USG or 19,000 Liter payload, reduced fuel burn, increased range, and higher speed. With up to double the volume of competing LATs, this aircraft can arrive at the fire earlier and will increase the success of initial attack missions, keeping fires smaller.  

In 2023, global fires emitted over 2.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide (more than most countries), and contributed to over 340,000 premature deaths due to air pollution. Larger, more capable aircraft are an important tool to extinguish a fire while they are small, before they turn into mega fires that endanger and affect lives and property. This addition to the Coulson fleet exemplifies the company’s commitment to protecting and minimizing irreversible damage to the environment.