Transport Canada has certified the Gulfstream G700 and G800 long-range business jets, ending a diplomatic spat between the U.S. and Canada over market access. The certifications came a week after Canada issued similar documents for the G500 and G600. Those aircraft were certified by the FAA five years ago. The G700 and G800 got FAA approval a year ago. There was no specific reason given by Transport Canada for the lag time in approving the certification, but in a statement to AvBrief the organization did say all foreign certified aircraft go through a review process.
“All major authorities perform validations on each other’s work, with a primary emphasis on safety and the public interest,” said spokesman Hicham Ayoun. “This system has provided a level of independent check on safety critical items and facilitates the exchange of aircraft types between countries.” In late January, President Donald Trump threatened to “decertify” new Canadian-built aircraft and add 50% tariffs to them if the Gulfstream certifications were not approved by Transport Canada. Neither action was taken in the interim.
As with the G500 and G600 certifications, the G700 and 800 documents apply to individual serial numbers and not the types in general. There are two G500s and each is certified and legal to be operated in Canada now. “The Type Certificates list the aircraft of those types that are currently being exported to Canada,” Ayoun said. “As more aircraft are sold into Canada, the list of eligible serial numbers will be expanded.” He also said Transport Canada does its own testing for Canada-specific requirements due to the harsh weather operating conditions in the country. Here is the statement in full.
“Canadian type certificates for Gulfstream models GVII-G500, GVII-G600, GVIII-G700 and GVIII-G800 were issued by Transport Canada. This allows these models to be imported and registered in Canada. The Type Certificates list the aircraft of those types that are currently being exported to Canada. As more aircraft are sold into Canada, the list of eligible serial numbers will be expanded.
“Transport Canada issues Type Certificates for aeronautical products as a way of certifying that the products meet the relevant airworthiness standards, including some Canadian-specific requirements that exist for all aircraft certified in Canada. Canada also has specific requirements for things such as aeroplane operations after cold soak, and requires freezing rain tests on emergency exit doors, both of which reflect the climate in Canada. The Canadian specific requirements are applied uniformly on all foreign and domestic aircraft as part of the Canadian certification and validation processes.
“All major authorities perform validations on each other’s work, with a primary emphasis on safety and the public interest. This system has provided a level of independent check on safety critical items, and facilitates the exchange of aircraft types between countries.“
None of this has done anything to promote the concept of safety through collaborative consensus. The industry is diminished in the process.
The message from Transport Canada is that none of these aircraft meets airworthiness standards as certified by the FAA and that should be a much bigger story.
How did you come to that conclusion? Did you actually read the article? It says clearly “There was no specific reason given by Transport Canada for the lag time in approving the certification, but in a statement to AvBrief the organization did say all foreign certified aircraft go through a review process.”
If there was a technical reason, it would have been stated. This was purely political and Canada was called on it when Trump proposed a purely political response.
The technical reasons are all laid out in the text of the included TC TCDS. Transport Canada has listed ten areas of noncompliance in the TC TCDS. As it notes these ten areas must be addressed to allow an individual aircraft to fly in Canada. This would be through mods, STCs, operational limitations such as maximum altitudes or temps or exemptions on a case-by-case basis. Even the FAA TCDS includes an exemption for fuel anti-icing, indicating that they admit it does not meet the published airworthiness requirements as constructed.
The Canadian Minister of Transport has publicly said he would not interfere in TC’s airworthiness process, because he understands the consequences. See “Transport minister will ‘not interfere’ with plane certification despite Trump threat” https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/canada-trump-gulfstream-certification/article_c824d403-c705-5d2d-88c1-7a6071463b21.html
I spent seven years as an industry representative to Transport Canada’s CARAC Part V Airworthiness committee and there was never even a whiff of political interference. It was an airworthiness engineering process run by engineers publicly, transparently and overseen by industry and related aviation associations. If you have any proof of political interference in airworthiness standards I would be happy to see it.
Whew, just in time too. My AMEX Centurion card is dying to finance one of these beauties.