FAA Says Canada Will Soon Certify Delayed Gulfstream Jets

Transport Canada is expected to announce approvals later this week after years-long delays drew pressure from Trump.

The Gulfstream G800 aircraft is on display at the National Business Aviation Association convention and exhibition in Orlando on Oct. 17, 2022. Gregg Newton/Reuters

The head of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Feb. 10 that he expects Canada to move ahead with certifying several U.S.-made Gulfstream business jets that have faced years of delay, potentially resolving a dispute that escalated into a public trade confrontation between Washington and Ottawa.

“I think we’ve resolved the issues with Canada,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told reporters on Capitol Hill following meetings with lawmakers. “My understanding is Transport Canada will announce the Gulfstream certifications that have been delayed for years.”

Bedford said he anticipated an announcement later this week covering the affected aircraft produced by Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., a unit of General Dynamics.

Transport Canada said it was continuing to work with Gulfstream and the FAA on certification of the business jets, but did not confirm a timeline.

Trump Presses Canada Over Certification Delay

The certification issue drew national attention last month after President Donald Trump accused Canada of refusing to certify several Gulfstream models and threatened sweeping retaliation.

In a Jan. 29 post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States was “hereby decertifying” Canadian-made Bombardier Global Express aircraft and “all Aircraft made in Canada” until such time as U.S.-made Gulfstream jets were fully certified in Canada.

“Canada is effectively prohibiting the sale of Gulfstream products in Canada through this very same certification process,” Trump wrote, adding that unless the situation was “immediately corrected,” he would impose a 50 percent tariff on all Canadian aircraft sold into the United States.

Trump said Canada had not certified Gulfstream’s G500, G600, G700, and G800 models. The G500 and G600 were certified by the FAA in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and have been flown and sold internationally for years. The newer G700 received FAA and European certification in spring 2024, and the G800 secured FAA and European approval in April 2025.

It remains unclear which of those models have completed Transport Canada’s certification process, which is required before aircraft can be legally sold or operated in Canada. According to a list of U.S.-designed and manufactured aircraft models eligible for use in Canada, only the Gulfstream models G-44, G-44A, and Scan Type 30 models have been certified.

Following Trump’s remarks, Canadian officials said the Gulfstream certification delay matter was being addressed.

“We believe that this can be resolved,” Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly told Canadian news network CBC on Jan. 30. “The certification process is well underway and ... the certification demands were absolutely recent.”

Joly said aircraft certification is not something that Canada politicizes and that the process is being carried out in an “administrative manner,” in response to a reporter’s question as to whether Transport Canada would try to speed up certification.

“Our government wants to cut more red tape, wants to take decisions faster,” she said. “There’s frustration towards the fact that sometimes decisions are too long, so we'll make sure that we get to the bottom of this question.”

Aircraft certification is traditionally handled on safety grounds, with regulators in different countries recognizing or validating each other’s approvals under established bilateral agreements.

The aviation dispute has unfolded amid wider strains in U.S.–Canada relations, including friction over Ottawa’s recent outreach to Beijing.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney signed a series of memoranda of understanding with China during a Jan. 13–Jan. 17 visit, covering security, trade, agriculture, and energy, which his office described as part of a new “strategic partnership.”

The visit included a Jan. 16 preliminary agreement-in-principle to lower Canadian tariffs on up to 49,000 Chinese-made electric vehicles from 100 percent to 6.1 percent in the first year. In return, Ottawa said, Beijing would significantly reduce retaliatory tariffs on Canadian agricultural products and seafood.

After Trump warned Canada last month that the United States could impose additional 100 percent tariffs if Ottawa pursued a broader trade deal with Beijing, Carney said he was not seeking a free-trade agreement and characterized the arrangement as a limited tariff adjustment and framework for closer cooperation.