President Donald Trump has threatened to decertify Canadian-made planes and impose a 50% tariff unless Canada approves Gulfstream jets, accusing Ottawa of illegally blocking certification while allowing its own planes into the U.S. market.
The dispute centers on aircraft certification, a regulatory process that determines whether planes can be sold and operated in a country. Trump accused Canadian authorities of using this process to restrict American-made Gulfstream jets.
“Based on the fact that Canada has wrongly, illegally and stubbornly refused to certify the Gulfstream 500, 600, 700 and 800 jets, one of the largest and most technologically advanced aircraft ever built, we hereby decertify their Bombardier Global Express and all aircraft manufactured in Canada, until Gulfstream, a major American company, is fully certified, as it should have been ago many years,” Trump said. Social truth Thursday evening. “Additionally, Canada effectively prohibits the sale of Gulfstream products in Canada through this same certification process.”
He added: “If for any reason this situation is not immediately corrected, I will fine Canada 50% rate on all aircraft sold in the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
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President Trump has warned Canada of 50% airfares and possible decertification, accusing Ottawa of blocking Gulfstream jets. (Gulfstream/Fox News)
It was not immediately clear which planes 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 an article on X that more than 400 Canadian-made planes were operating to and from U.S. airports as of Friday morning.
Data provider Cirium said 150 Global Express aircraft are registered in the United States and operated by 115 different operators.
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Trump accused Canada of illegally blocking the certification of Gulfstream jets and said the United States would withdraw certification of Canadian-made planes in response. He also warned that he would impose a 50% tariff on all Canadian planes unless the issue was resolved immediately. (Harun Ozalp/Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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 decertification, as that authority rests with the FAA, although he has made similar statements in the past that were then implemented — sometimes with exemptions — by the relevant agencies.
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (left) and President Donald Trump pose for a photo during the G7 summit on June 16, 2025. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Amid broader tensions between the United States and Canada, Canadian Prime Minister Marc Carney On Tuesday, he denied retracting comments that angered Trump, saying “almost nothing” was normal in the United States.
Citing U.S. trade policy, Carney last week urged other countries to prepare for the erosion of the rules-based global order long promoted by Washington.
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He also pushed to diversify Canadian trade beyond the United States, which accounts for about 70% of Canadian exports under the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
Reuters contributed to this report.
