President Donald Trump threatened to decertify Canadian-made aircraft and impose a 50% tariff unless Canada approves Gulfstream jets, accusing Ottawa of illegally blocking certification while allowing its own planes access to the American market.
The dispute centers on aircraft certification, a regulatory process that determines whether planes can be sold and operated in a country. Trump has accused Canadian authorities of using that process to restrict U.S.-made Gulfstream jets.
“Based on the fact that Canada has wrongfully, illegally, and steadfastly refused to certify the Gulfstream 500, 600, 700, and 800 Jets, one of the greatest, most technologically advanced airplanes ever made, we are hereby decertifying 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 said on Truth Social Thursday night. “Further, Canada is effectively prohibiting the sale of Gulfstream products in Canada through this very same certification process.”
He added: “If, for any reason, this situation is not immediately corrected, I am going to charge Canada a 50% Tariff on any and all Aircraft sold into the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
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It was not immediately clear which aircraft beyond Bombardier’s Global Express line would be affected by Trump’s proposed tariffs, including whether Canadian-built Airbus A220 commercial jets would be included.
FlightRadar24 said in a post on X that more than 400 Canadian-made aircraft were operating to and from U.S. airports as of early Friday.
Data provider Cirium said 150 Global Express aircraft are registered in the United States and operated by 115 different operators.
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FOX Business has reached out to Bombardier and Gulfstream for comment.
In April, the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency certified the Gulfstream G800 jet, while Transport Canada, which oversees aircraft certification in Canada, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It was not immediately clear how Trump would carry out a decertification, as that authority rests with the FAA, though he has made similar declarations in the past that were later implemented — sometimes with exemptions — by relevant agencies.
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Against the backdrop of broader U.S.–Canada tensions, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday denied he had retracted comments that angered Trump, saying “almost nothing” was normal in the United States.
Citing U.S. trade policy, Carney last week urged other nations to prepare for the erosion of the rules-based global order long promoted by Washington.
He has also pushed to diversify Canadian trade away from the United States, which accounts for roughly 70% of Canada’s exports under the U.S.–Mexico–Canada trade agreement.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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