U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited tensions with Canada by threatening steep new tariffs on Canadian-made aircraft, escalating an already strained trade relationship.
In a post shared on Truth Social on Thursday, January 29, Trump said he intends to impose a 50% tariff on all aircraft sold by Canada to the United States. He justified the move by accusing Canadian authorities of refusing to certify several U.S.-made Gulfstream business jets, including the Gulfstream 500, 600, 700, and 800 models.
Trump went further, announcing that the U.S. would decertify Canada’s Bombardier Global Express jets until Gulfstream aircraft receive full approval in Canada. He claimed that Canada is deliberately blocking Gulfstream sales through its certification process and described the situation as unfair and unlawful.
“If this issue is not fixed immediately, Canada will face a 50% tariff on every aircraft sold into the United States,” Trump wrote.
This latest threat follows an earlier warning issued over the weekend, in which Trump said he would impose a 100% tariff on Canadian imports if Ottawa moved forward with a proposed trade agreement with China.
Aviation experts have expressed alarm over the announcement. Speaking to CBS News, Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory, noted that no previous U.S. president has personally intervened in aircraft certification matters. Traditionally, such decisions are handled by aviation safety professionals at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“Using aircraft safety as leverage in a trade dispute is an extremely dangerous precedent,” Aboulafia said, warning that politicizing certification decisions could undermine aviation safety and international trust.
The comments have raised concerns among industry analysts that trade conflicts could spill into regulatory systems that are typically insulated from political pressure.
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