U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to “decertify” the Bombardier Global Express “and all aircraft made in Canada” unless the Gulfstream G500, G600, G700 and G800 jets are certified by Canadian authorities.
In an extraordinary outburst on his Truth Social media platform, the president said the move was in response to Canada “wrongfully, illegally, and steadfastly” refusing to certify the Gulfstream aircraft, and that he would charge the country a 50% tariff on “any and all aircraft” sold in the U.S. if the situation “is not immediately corrected.”
However, according to Reuters, a White House official later said that the president wasn’t suggesting decertifying Canadian-built aircraft currently in operation — a move that would cripple the U.S. airline industry and potentially impact much of the Bell commercial helicopter fleet in operation across the country. Bell’s current commercial product line is manufactured in Mirabel, Quebec.
Canadian airplane manufacturer Bombardier said it had “taken note” of Trump’s post and was in contact with the Canadian government.
“Bombardier is an international company that employs more than 3,000 people in the U.S. across nine major facilities, and creates thousands of U.S. jobs through 2,800 suppliers,” the company said.
“Thousands of private and civilian jets built in Canada fly in the U.S. every day. We hope this is quickly resolved to avoid a significant impact to air traffic and the flying public.”
While aircraft decertification as a punitive political measure against a friendly nation would be unprecedented, the European regulator suspended the type certificates for Russian aircraft — including the Kamov Ka-32 helicopter — in retaliation for the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Trump’s threats are the latest volley amid heightened tensions between Canada and the U.S., and follow Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos where he discussed “a rupture” in the world order that had caused Canada “to fundamentally shift our strategic posture.”
Trump responded the following day by saying “Canada lives because of the United States.”
