The Gulfstream G800 aircraft at the National Business Aviation Association convention and exhibition in Orlando, Fla., in October, 2022.Gregg Newton/Reuters
A potential confrontation between Canada and the United States over luxury jets appears to have been smoothed over after the head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said that his Canadian counterparts are poised to approve the certification of American-made Gulfstream aircraft.
“I think we’ve resolved the issues with Canada,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told reporters in Washington Tuesday. “My understanding is Transport Canada will announce the Gulfstream certifications that have been delayed for years.”
Ottawa has been working to defuse American anger over safety approvals for General Dynamics Corp.’s GD-N Gulfstream jets after U.S. President Donald Trump blasted Canada in late January for having “refused” to certify four specific models built by the Savannah, GA-based manufacturer. Mr. Trump also threatened retaliation against Bombardier Inc. BBD-B-T and Canada’s other domestic aircraft manufacturers.
Spokespeople for Steven MacKinnon, Canada’s Transport Minister, did not respond to a request to confirm the information late in the day. Mark Masluch, a spokesman for Bombardier, which is a party in the clash, said the company had no further comment beyond its previous statements.
Mr. Trump startled Canada’s aerospace industry late last month with a social media post saying the United States is decertifying Bombardier’s Global Express jets and “all Aircraft made in Canada” until Canada approves the Gulfstream planes. He also threatened a 50-per-cent import tariff on Canadian aircraft sold into the U.S. if the situation was not immediately addressed.
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U.S. and European regulators have certified certain Gulfstream models but with an exemption that gives the company time to do more testing and prove it has addressed potential issues related to ice in the jets’ fuel system. Canada hasn’t granted that exemption and was still reviewing the aircraft, based on the latest information available.
The Globe and Mail and other media outlets have asked Transport Canada to specify which Gulfsteam jets are currently being evaluated and which have received their certifications. The department has failed to answer.
Transport Minister MacKinnon has said Canada has a collaborative relationship with the FAA that stretches back decades in matters of aircraft certification. He suggested last week that the matter had been resolved.
“To the extent that any ambiguities or misunderstandings may have existed, I think they’ve been dissipated,” he told reporters last week.
Bombardier is Gulfstream’s main rival in business jet manufacturing.
The Montreal-based company would be significantly hit were the U.S. to move ahead with decertification or tariffs. It generated about US$5-billion of its US$8-billion revenue from U.S.-based customers in 2023 while assembling and shipping out its planes largely from factories in Canada.
With reports from Reuters