Canadian airframers have drawn the ire of US President Donald Trump, who is threatening to “de-certify” Canadian aircraft and levy a 50% tariff on those sold in the USA – unless Transport Canada issues certifications for US-manufactured Gulfstream jets.
In a 29 January post on his Truth Social network, Trump accused Canada of “wrongfully, illegally and steadfastly” refusing to certificate Gulfstream’s G500, G600, G700 and G800 jets.
“We are hereby de-certifying their Bombardier Global Expresses, and all Aircraft made in Canada, until such time as Gulfstream, a Great American Company, is fully certified, as it should have been many years ago,” Trump writes.
He further alleges that Canada has been “effectively prohibiting the sale of Gulfstream products in Canada through this very same certification process”, and threatens a 50% tariff on “any and all aircraft sold” in the USA.
The post sent immediate shock waves through the North American aerospace sector, with very few details apparent.
Bombardier does not immediately respond to FlightGlobal’s request for comment.
There is no evidence to support Trump’s allegation that Transport Canada, the country’s civil aviation regulator, has purposefully or “illegally” withheld certification of any Gulfstream jets, though several months have passed since the Federal Aviation Administration and European Union Aviation Safety Agency certificated Gulfstream’s ultra-long-range G800 business jet in April.
The FAA certificated Gulfstream’s G700 business jet in March 2024 following a protracted process, as the FAA’s certification activities slowed considerably amid heightened scrutiny stemming from the Boeing 737 Max crisis.
Transport Canada has yet to issue certifications for Gulfstream’s G500, G600, G700 and G800 variants.
On the other side of the equation, Bombardier received type certification for its Global 8000 business jet from Transport Canada in November, with FAA approval coming about a month later. EASA certificated the 19-passenger jet on 23 January.
Meanwhile, is unclear what mechanism Trump could use to “de-certify” Canadian-built aircraft – thousands of which are in operation in the USA.
There are about 2,700 Bombardier-manufactured aircraft registered as in-service in the USA, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. That includes 150 Global Express aircraft.
It is also unclear why Trump is targeting Global Express aircraft, which were first delivered to customers in the late 1990s.
There here are 5,425 Canadian-built aircraft – including regional jets, larger narrowbody jets, business jets and helicopters – currently in service in the USA. That includes 58 Airbus A220s and hundreds of Bombardier CRJ900s and CRJ700s operated by SkyWest Airlines, Endeavor Air, PSA Airlines, Flexjet, GoJet Airlines and Delta Connection.
CRJ-series regional jets were originally manufactured by Bombardier but the programme was acquired by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 2020, with Bombardier divesting its commercial unit and moving forward only with its business jet segment.
Canadian airframers are the latest target in the Trump administration’s ongoing trade war with the USA’s northern neighbour, longtime ally and trade partner. Tensions between the two countries has created fierce push-back from Canadian companies and travellers, with a significant drop in Canada-to-USA air traffic that has persisted since Trump first took his hostile stance toward the country.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has yet to comment on Trump’s latest rhetorical salvo. He has recently weathered a slew of threats from Trump, including an 100% tariff on Canada if it agrees to a free trade deal with China, and was elected last year largely based on his opposition to Trump’s attacks.
