A mockup of the Gulfstream G700 is unveiled at an exhibition in Las Vegas, Nev., in 2019. The model is one of the two certified by Transport Canada on Tuesday.DAVID BECKER/Reuters
Transport Canada has certified the two remaining Gulfstream jet models 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 G700 and G800 planes on Monday, according to a document from Transport Canada’s National Aeronautical Product Approval database. Two other Gulfstream models, the G500 and G600, were approved earlier this month.
Federal officials had been working behind the scenes to assuage 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.
Regulators have given the thumbs-up to Gulfstream’s latest business jets, less than a month after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs over the planes’ status north of the border.
The Canadian Press
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, a unit of General Dynamics Corp. GD-N 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.
FAA head says Canada will certify Gulfstream jets after Trump threats
The head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said his country was simply looking for a level playing field, and questioned whether regulators in other countries were devoting sufficient resources to aircraft approvals.
Bombardier and Gulfstream are major competitors in the private jet market, each boasting a healthy backlog of orders stemming from strong demand for their products worldwide.