Picture taken at Le Bourget Airport during the 46th International Paris Air show the logo of US jet manufacturer Gulfstream. AFP PHOTO PIERRE VERDY (Photo by PIERRE VERDY / AFP)
Transport Canada has certified two Gulfstream business jets after U.S. President Donald Trump recently threatened to decertify Canadian-made aircraft in response to Canada’s delay in certifying several Gulfstream jet models.
The Canadian regulator certified the Gulfstream G500 and G600 on Feb. 15, according to a certificate document posted on Transport Canada’s website.
The certificate says the aircraft meet the “standards of airworthiness” required by the Canadian Aviation Regulations.
The head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) earlier said on Feb. 10 that he expected Canada would soon announce it was certifying the Gulfstream business jets following years of delay.
The certification comes after Trump said in late January that he was planning to decertify the Bombardier Global Express and all other Canadian-made aircraft in response to what he described as Canada’s refusal to certify several models of U.S.-made Gulfstream jets.
“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 wrote in a Jan. 29 post on Truth Social.
Business jet manufacturer Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation is a subsidiary of General Dynamics.
Trump said Ottawa was prohibiting the sale of Gulfstream aircraft in Canada by not certifying the G500, G600, G700, and G800 models. In addition, he said Ottawa must “immediately” certify all Gulfstream aircraft or he would also impose 50 percent tariffs on any Canadian aircraft imported into the United States.
Following Trump’s remarks, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said the certification delay was being addressed, adding that the certification demands were “absolutely recent.”
Before aircraft are certified and can be legally used or sold in Canada, they must pass safety checks carried out by Transport Canada. Similarly, the United States certifies aircraft for American use and sale through the FAA.
The G500 and G600 were certified by the FAA in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and have been internationally flown and sold since that time. Meanwhile, the G700 was certified by the FAA and European regulators in the spring of 2024, and the G800 received FAA and European certification last April.
Ottawa has yet to certify the Gulfstream G700 and G800 models, which have been flagged due to possible de-icing concerns.
The Bombardier Global 8000 business aircraft was certified by Transport Canada in November and by the FAA in December.
Montreal-based Bombardier said in a Jan. 29 statement that it had “taken note” of Trump’s comments and was in touch with the Canadian government. The company said it hoped the issue would be resolved quickly “to avoid a significant impact to air traffic and the flying public.”
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers criticized Trump’s remarks, saying that Bombardier’s manufacturing and service employ around 3,000 workers in the United States and 2,800 U.S.-based suppliers and that Trump’s action if carried out would cause “serious disruption” in both Canada and the United States.
In addition to Bombardier, other Canadian aircraft manufacturers include Airbus and helicopter manufacturing company Bell Textron, both located in Quebec, as well as Calgary-based de Havilland and Ontario-based Diamond Aircraft.
Trump’s threat to impose tariffs and decertify Canadian aircraft came after the American president said on Jan. 24 that he would impose 100 percent tariffs on Canada if it “makes a deal with China.”
During his visit to China in January, Prime Minister Mark Carney signed a number of agreements with Beijing in a variety of areas, including trade, agriculture, and energy, as well as public safety and security. In addition, a deal was made to cut tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles from 100 percent to 6.1 percent on 49,000 vehicles in the first year in exchange for reduced tariffs on Canadian agricultural and seafood products.
Following the trip, Carney said Canada was in a “strategic partnership” with China and that relations between the two countries had entered “a new era.”
In response to Trump’s 100 percent tariff threat, Carney said he was not pursuing a free-trade agreement with China but was rectifying “some issues that developed in the last couple of years.”
Paul Rowan Brian and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.