![]()
Aviation industry leaders pushed back Monday against President Donald Trump's threat to decertify Canadian-made aircraft and impose steep new tariffs, calling the prospect of decertification unlikely while warning that tariffs pose a more immediate risk to manufacturers, operators, and consumers.
Trump said he would move to decertify Canadian aircraft, specifically targeting the Bombardier Global Express, and impose a 50% tariff on aircraft imported into the United States unless Canada certifies several U.S.-built Gulfstream models.
The threatened action would apply pressure on certification of the G500, G600, G700, and G800 jets. The G500 received U.S. certification in 2018, followed by the G600 in 2019, the G700 in 2024, and the G800 in 2025.
Industry attorneys and executives addressed the issue during the first day of the Corporate Jet Investor London conference. Panelists included Alasdair Whyte, co-founder of CJI, David Hernandez of Vedder, Ehsan Monfared of YYZlaw, and Tobias Kleitman of TVPX.
When asked whether the decertification would actually happen, Hernandez said there was zero risk of that happening any time soon.
"First and foremost, Canada didn't wrongfully or illegally do anything; they have a right as the state of design to certify products, every country does," said Hernandez. "Second, there is a bilateral aviation safety agreement with the United States and Canada, and there are also implementing procedures that specifically outline that each country has the right to certify its own products. Third, the United States doesn't certify anything; we validate the Canadian certification."
Hernandez added that decertification would require a specific justification, like a safety issue.
"When I say there is zero chance of this happening, all of these steps need to happen in advance, and you really can't do that with a Truth Social post," Hernandez said.
The panel also discussed Transport Canada, which oversees aviation regulation and certification in Canada.
"There is an unwritten rule that they don't start the certification process until there's actual demand for a product," Monfared said.
He noted that while Gulfstream aircraft do operate in Canada, Bombardier's support network, their parts availability, available contract pilots, and entire framework are much more robust.
Canada's aviation market is less than a 10th of the size of the U.S. market, making the likelihood of even one Gulfstream 500,600,700 or 800 ever operating in Canada is very low, according to Monfared.
"I'm not apologizing for Transport Canada; we deal with them all the time, they are incredibly slow, so thank you, President Trump, for trying to light the fire under their butt," said Monfared. "But, at the same time, what we see here is the potential and the risk that this again interferes with free market practices."
While panelists downplayed the likelihood of decertification, Kleitman said tariffs were far more plausible.
"We have tariffs right now on Canadian-manufactured aircraft of at least 35%," said Kleitman. "This threat is directed at brand new, which would qualify under U.S. MCA currently, so that could go away; it's real, and we'll see what happens."
Trump's post did not specify whether engines or aircraft parts would also be subject to the proposed tariffs.
"It hurts American consumers, American consumers who are either under contract now and have an obligation to purchase, or who are getting into the market and are getting one of their choices taken off the table," added Monfared.
Hernandez added that employees across the aviation sector would also feel the impact, though he said Trump's statement has at least drawn attention to the pace at which Canada has not yet validated the Gulfstream aircraft.
Under federal law, the Federal Aviation Administration has the authority to modify, amend, suspend, or revoke aircraft certification. However, the agency said it had no advance notice of Trump's statement and has issued no directive affecting operations, according to AirGuide."Thousands of private and civilian jets built in Canada fly in the U.S. every day," said Bombardier in a statement on Thursday. "We hope this is quickly resolved to avoid a significant impact on air traffic and the flying public."
RELATED ARTICLES:Trump threatens decertification of Canadian aircraft and 50% import tariffsFramework agreement to remove 39% tariff on Swiss aviation goodsWhat's known and unknown to business aviation when it comes to US-Canada tariffs?