A Gulfstream Aerospace G500 aircraft arrives at the Paris Airshow in 2023. It’s one of four American-made business jets at the centre of Trump’s recent threats against Canada’s aerospace industry.Benoit Tessier/Reuters
Transport Canada has confirmed the safety and airworthiness of two of four American-made General Dynamics GD-N Gulfstream business jets at the heart of recent threats by U.S. President Donald Trump against Canada’s aerospace industry.
The federal department awarded “type certification” to Gulfstream’s G500 and G600 models on Feb. 15, according to a document from Transport Canada’s National Aeronautical Product Approval database. Two other new Gulfstream models, the G700 and G800, are not listed, meaning they have yet to be approved.
Ottawa has been working to defuse U.S. anger over jet safety approvals after Mr. Trump blasted Canada in a social media post in late January for having “wrongfully, illegally and steadfastly refused” to certify the four Gulfstream jet models.
The President said the United States would decertify the Global Express jets made by Canada’s Bombardier Inc. BBD-B-T and “all aircraft made in Canada” until Canada approves the new business jets made by Savannah, Ga.-based Gulfstream. He also threatened to impose a 50-per-cent import tariff on Canadian aircraft sold into the U.S. if the situation was not immediately addressed.
The declaration sparked alarm and confusion among aviation-sector leaders in both Canada and the U.S., with some commentators saying Mr. Trump was using his power to undermine the safety functions of regulators. The head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said earlier this month that his Canadian counterparts were poised to approve the certification of American-made Gulfstream aircraft.
Bombardier and Gulfstream are major competitors in the luxury jet market, each boasting a healthy backlog of orders stemming from strong demand for their products worldwide. Bombardier’s flagship product is the Global 8000, which it says is the fastest civilian aircraft since the Concorde.