Efforts to combat wildfires up north are being hampered because
firefighting pilots have been denied access to the nearest
airfield, David Golan, the director of the Chim-Nir aviation
company, told Haaretz yesterday. The Chim-Nir pilots have been
taking part in the effort to put out the fires around the
Meshushim pool in the Golan and the Sheva junction in the
central Galilee.  Golan said that although an agreement had been
reached to allow his planes to use the Haifa airport, they were
prevented from using the airport at Mahanayim to take off, land
and store chemicals because of bureaucratic mangling with the
Israel Airports Authority (IAA ). For lack of a better
alternative, they were forced to use the more distant airport
Meggido.  He said that logistical problems in transporting
materials by truck to the Meggido airport had also created a
shortage of fire retardants. In the past, a ready stock had been
available at the Mahanayim airport. Had the planes taken off
from Mahanayim, Golan said, they would have