Gulfstream G500/600 and G700/800 Get Transport Canada Nods

Gulfstream Aerospace has secured Transport Canada validation for all four of the models that had been pending in recent years with yesterday’s approval for the company’s flagship G700 and G800. That followed certification of both the G500 and G600 on February 15.

The latest round of approvals came under threat of retaliation from the White House, which on January 29 had threated to “decertify” all in-production Bombardier aircraft until Transport Canada completed its validations of the Gulfstream models. Following that threat, Transport Canada had responded was in close contact with its U.S. counterparts and “our government is actively working on this situation. Canada’s aviation industry is safe and reliable. We will stand behind it.”

Gulfstream had applied for Transport Canada approval of the G500 and G600 six years ago and then in 2024 for the G700 and G800. Gulfstream received U.S. certification for the G500 and G600 in 2018 and 2019. Both have received an EASA nod. The G700 followed in March 2024 with FAA certification and, within a year, had picked up 11 validations, including European approval. But Canadian approval was not among them until yesterday. The G800, meanwhile, received its FAA and EASA approval last April concurrently. Just ahead of the G700 and G800 validations yesterday, Gulfstream had said “are optimistic that progress is being made.”

These approvals clear all four of Gulfstream’s large-cabin models for delivery and registration in the Canadian market.

On January 29, Trump threatened to revoke certifications for all Canadian aircraft, including Bombardier Globals, in retaliation for delays in Transport Canada approvals for the Gulfstream G500, G600, G700, and G800. He also threatened 50% tariffs on any aircraft produced in Canada and sold in the U.S.

Gulfstream confirmed that the G500 and G600 applications had been pending for about six years, and the G700 and G800 applications were submitted in 2024.

When asked on February 12 about the Trump threat to “decertify” Bombardier products, Bombardier president and CEO Éric Martel had expressed optimism that the “situation is going to get resolved,” and added that this was a certification issue between Gulfstream, Transport Canada, and the FAA. “They need to work together to get this to the bottom line.”

During the GAMA State of the Industry press conference, association president and CEO James Viola added that sometimes certifying authorities get out of alignment and need to recalibrate.