Trump threatens to ban Bombardier jet sales in the US market

President Donald Trump has threatened to shut Bombardier out of the American aviation market, a dramatic escalation in the trade war between the US and Canada that has rattled executives, airline buyers, and government officials from Montreal to Ottawa.

The threat targets one of Canada’s largest private employers, a company that builds regional jets used by dozens of American carriers and supports an estimated 16,000 jobs across its North American operations. Trump didn’t offer a specific timeline, but said his administration was looking at “all options” to pressure Canada amid the broader tariff standoff.

What’s actually being threatened

The White House’s warning centers on Bombardier’s CRJ and Q Series aircraft, workhorses of the regional airline industry that fill short-haul routes across the American Midwest and South. Airlines including United Express and Jazz Aviation operate hundreds of these planes. A ban wouldn’t just hurt Bombardier — it would leave carriers scrambling to find replacement aircraft in a market where supply is already tight.

That’s the leverage Canada is counting on.

American regional carriers rely heavily on Bombardier’s catalogue, and there’s no obvious domestic alternative ready to fill the gap at scale. Boeing doesn’t make a direct competitor in that segment. So any ban would create headaches for US airlines, not just Canadian manufacturers.

Canada fires back

Ottawa didn’t take the threat quietly. Canada’s trade minister called the move “reckless” and warned that retaliatory measures were being actively prepared. Canadian officials have already drawn up a list of roughly $30 billion in potential US goods subject to counter-tariffs, and Bombardier’s situation is now firmly part of those calculations.

“We will not stand by while Canadian workers and Canadian companies are used as bargaining chips,” a senior government official said in a statement Thursday.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has taken a harder line with Washington than his predecessor, is expected to raise the Bombardier issue directly in any upcoming bilateral talks. His government has made protecting Canadian aerospace a stated priority.

A company already under pressure

Bombardier has spent the better part of the last decade restructuring. It sold its commercial aircraft division, shed its train business, and narrowed its focus to business jets — particularly its Challenger and Global series, which are manufactured partly in Ontario and Quebec. The company reported revenues of $8.8 billion in 2024 and has been working to rebuild its balance sheet after years of debt.

But this threat lands at an awkward moment. Bombardier is deep into delivery commitments and has a backlog worth over $14 billion. Losing access to American buyers, even partially, could spook investors and complicate financing.

What comes next

Both governments have left diplomatic channels open, but the window for a negotiated solution may be narrowing. Trade experts say the Bombardier threat is likely a pressure tactic rather than an imminent policy — but in a trade war that’s already produced real economic damage on both sides, the line between threat and action has proven thin.