Last night, President Trump took to social media to ban all aircraft produced in Canada from operating in the United States… or at least that’s how it was written. I want to provide an update, because within hours, White House officials have claimed this isn’t quite as bad as Trump made it sound, even if it still makes absolutely no sense.
Trump bans Bombardier and other aircraft on Truth Social
On the evening of Thursday, January 29, 2026, Trump took to his own Truth Social platform to write the following:
Based on the fact that Canada has wrongfully, illegally, and steadfastly refused to certify the Gulfstream 500, 600, 700, and 800 Jets, one of the greatest, most technologically advanced airplanes ever made, we are hereby decertifying their Bombardier Global Expresses, and all Aircraft made in Canada, until such time as Gulfstream, a Great American Company, is fully certified, as it should have been many years ago. Further, Canada is effectively prohibiting the sale of Gulfstream products in Canada through this very same certification process. If, for any reason, this situation is not immediately corrected, I am going to charge Canada a 50% Tariff on any and all Aircraft sold into the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
DONALD J. TRUMP
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
According to Trump’s claims:
- “All aircraft made in Canada” have been “decertified”
- If Canada doesn’t immediately certify all Gulfstream aircraft, Trump will add a 50% tariff on all Canadian aircraft sold to the United States
For context, there are over 5,000 aircraft operating in the United States that were produced in Canada, including most Bombardier aircraft, plus select Airbus aircraft. The Bombardier aircraft doesn’t just include Global Express private jets, but also commercial aircraft, like the CRJ-200, CRJ-700, and CRJ-900.
Obviously if this were all true, it would have massive implications for airlines, since hundreds of regional jets would suddenly be grounded, and no longer certified.
White House walks back threats, and this makes no sense
Despite Trump’s claims that all aircraft produced in Canada are decertified, that’s not actually what he meant, apparently. A White House official has confirmed that this only applies to newly produced aircraft going forward.
None of this makes any sense:
- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversees aircraft certification, and an aircraft is only supposed to lose certification if it’s due to a safety related issue; aircraft certification is not supposed to be a political pawn or a trade bargaining chip
- Certification applies to specific aircraft types, so it’s not based on whether a plane is newly delivered or not, which is why this kind of implementation defies logic
- Is it too much to ask that if the president does something that literally could impact millions of people, it’s actually thought about carefully, and published through official channels, rather than random, inaccurate ramblings that then have to be walked back?
It’ll be interesting to see if there’s actually any sort of enforcement mechanism for “decertifying” aircraft going forward. I mean, a few weeks back, Trump claimed he was capping credit card interest rates at 10%, and that any company not following this rule would be “in violation of the law.” Well, the major credit card companies still have interest rates of over 10%, and I haven’t seen the government take any action, so…
For those curious about the Gulfstream certification issues that Trump is referencing, what’s the backstory there? Different regulators all need to certify aircraft in order for them to operate in those countries. Indeed, the FAA has certified some new Gulfstream aircraft, while Canada hasn’t.
The thing is, we don’t actually know the details of why the certification is taking so long. There are a few things to keep in mind:
- Foreign regulators have less faith in FAA certification than in the past, given the Boeing 737 MAX fiasco; so while they might have followed the United States’ lead more in the past, that’s no longer the case
- While details of certification delays aren’t published publicly, it’s my understanding that this at least partly involves the deicing system on some new Gulfstream aircraft; so while the FAA has granted an exemption for this issue, Canadian authorities are taking more time in making a decision
- There’s an irony to the United States administration complaining about other countries certifying things related to aircraft too slowly, when you consider that the FAA is literally taking years to certify many new airplane seats, as Delta and Lufthansa can attest to
Bottom line
President Trump claims he has “decertified” all aircraft produced in Canada. If that were to be taken at face value, when we would expect mass cancelations at American Eagle, Delta Connection, and United Express.
However, within hours, the White House clarified that only newly delivered aircraft are “decertified.” Now, that’s not actually how aircraft certification is supposed to work, since that’s only supposed to be messed with for safety reasons, and it would apply to new and existing aircraft.
But hey, here we are, and what can really be said anymore? Well, other than… THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS POST!
