Trump's new tariff threats cast new risk over Bombardier's cross-border growth push
Bombardier is growing its US service network just as political risk around Canadian assets, aviation and a key trade bridge is rising on US President Donald Trump’s agenda.
According to BNN Bloomberg, Bombardier Inc. has acquired US-based Velocity Maintenance Solutions to expand its maintenance, repair and overhaul capacity.
The target operates a hangar at an airport in Wilmington, Del., and runs 14 mobile repair trucks across the United States.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Bombardier says the deal strengthens its US presence and supports its long-term service coverage for operators, ahead of its expected fourth-quarter results release on Thursday.
That expansion comes as Trump directly targets Canadian-made aircraft.
BNN Bloomberg reports that he recently threatened to “ground and tariff” Canadian-built planes if Canada does not certify Gulfstream’s G700 and G800 luxury jets, made by US rival Gulfstream in Georgia.
Transport Canada says it is working with the US Federal Aviation Administration, Bombardier and Gulfstream’s parent General Dynamics to “resolve outstanding certification matters in a way that protects safety and regulatory integrity, while maintaining market access on both sides of the border.”
Reuters reports that Trump has warned the United States would decertify Bombardier Global business jets and impose a 50 percent import tariff on all aircraft made in Canada until those Gulfstream models are certified.
The dispute has raised concern because Canadian-made jets support regional airline service and thousands of US jobs.
Bombardier’s defence headquarters in Wichita, Kansas employs about 1,300 people and carries out work for the US government.
Republican Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas told Reuters he has spoken with both Bombardier and Gulfstream and pushed for a quick resolution, saying, “We’re a united North American market, and we need to conduct ourselves in that way.”
Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell called decertifying Canadian aircraft a “bad idea,” arguing that measures like tariffs and threats to decertify planes distort competition in a growing global market.
Industry voices have also warned against politicizing safety decisions.
The former head of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Patrick Ky, told Reuters that “Certification is a safety assessment; it should never be a political issue.”
The International Civil Aviation Organization said certification must remain based on safety, technical evidence and internationally agreed standards.
On the Canadian side, Industry Minister Melanie Joly told reporters, “We will do all we can, of course, to support the company and the aeronautical sector.”
She said she had spoken with Bombardier CEO Eric Martel but did not provide details.
