President Donald Trump said he is “decertifying” all aircraft built in Canada and threatened to impose 50 percent tariffs on Canadian aircraft sold to the United States, in an escalation of trade tensions between the neighboring countries that could have ramifications for U.S. air travel.
In a Truth Social post late Thursday, Trump accused Canada of “wrongfully, illegally, and steadfastly” refusing to certify models of Gulfstream jets and “effectively prohibiting” the sale of the American-owned business jets in Canada.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
It was not immediately clear how Trump would restrict the planes. The role of certifying aircraft is a well-established process to ensure aircraft safety and traditionally falls to the Federal Aviation Administration. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford was nominated by Trump.
The threat is the latest salvo between the traditionally friendly allies, whose relationship has soured under Trump’s second term. Trump has threatened to make Canada the 51st state, imposed tariffs on Canadian goods and traded barbs with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this month.
The Bombardier Global Express is a private jet made by the Quebec-based manufacturer, which has facilities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico and makes planes used commercially as well as by governments and militaries, including the U.S.
The company said it had “taken note” of Trump’s post and was in contact with the Canadian government in a statement on Thursday that sought to highlight its U.S. footprint.
“Bombardier is an international company that employs more than 3,000 people in the U.S. across 9 major facilities, and creates thousands of U.S. jobs through 2,800 suppliers,” it 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,” it added.
Companies including American Airlines and Delta use Bombardier planes for regional flights, and any disruption to their ability to fly would upend air travel in the United States. “It would be a transportation disaster,” Richard Aboulafia of the industry consulting firm AeroDynamic Advisory told CNN. “If it’s only the Global Express, it’s not that big of a problem. But if it’s all Canadian-made jets … the [U.S. air travel] system would be seriously impacted.”
Transport Canada has approved several Gulfstream jets to operate in the country, including the G350, G450, GV, G550 and G500. The G700 and G800 received FAA certification in March 2024 and April 2025 respectively, according to the company.
Transport Canada, Gulfstream and its parent company General Dynamics did not immediately respond to requests for comment early Friday, nor did the White House or the Canadian government.
Simmering tensions between Trump and Carney were on full display in Davos last week when Carney declared the rules-based international order “over” and called for middle powers to join forces to avoid being “on the menu” in a speech that received a standing ovation.
A day later, Trump used his own Davos address to take a swipe at Canada, claiming it “gets a lot of freebies” from the U.S. and warning Carney to remember that “Canada lives because of the United States.” Trump later rescinded Carney’s invitation to his Board of Peace.
On Thursday, Carney said he expected the U.S. to “respect Canadian sovereignty” following a Financial Times report that members of the Trump administration had met with a separatist group about plans for an independence referendum. Speaking to reporters the same day, British Columbia Premier David Eby described asking a foreign government for assistance in breaking up Canada as “treason.”
The State Department said in an emailed statement Friday it “regularly meets with civil society types. As is typical in routine meetings such as these, no commitments were made.”
The post Trump says U.S. will decertify Canadian-made planes, threatens 50% tariff appeared first on Washington Post.
