Canada approves latest Gulfstream business jets after Trump tariff threat

Canadian regulators have approved Gulfstream G700 and G800 business jets in a move that comes weeks after new tariff threats from US President Donald Trump over the planes' status in Canada.

A Transport Canada database shows that it certified the American company's latest private planes on Monday, roughly a week after green-lighting two older Gulfstream models.

Marie-Justine Torres, a spokeswoman for Canada's transport minister, confirmed on Tuesday that the certification was granted by Transport Canada.

Trump threatened last month to decertify and place tariffs on all Canadian-built planes unless the government approved Gulfstream business jets.

The go-ahead from Transport Canada came despite deicing concerns flagged by the US Federal Aviation Administration, which granted the G700 and G800 conditional certification in 2024.

 

The FAA said that Gulfstream, owned by General Dynamics, has until the end of this year to prove that the two plane types function "properly ... where ice may form in the fuel system."  Late last month, Trump singled out Bombardier Inc in a threat to ground Canadian-made aircraft and slap them with a 50 per cent tariff, marking the latest escalation of trade tensions between Canada and the United States.

Trump said that he was retaliating against Canada for refusing to certify jets from Savannah, Georgia-based Gulfstream Aerospace.

Trump said that the US, in return, would decertify all Canadian aircraft, including planes from its largest aircraft maker, Bombardier.

"If, for any reason, this situation is not immediately corrected, I am going to charge Canada a 50 per cent Tariff on any and all Aircraft sold into the United States of America," Trump said in his post.

Bombardier and Gulfstream are head-to-head rivals, with the Canadian company's Global series battling for market share against Gulfstream's latest models.

John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, said that certification is about safety and it would be unprecedented to decertify for trade reasons.