TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the province will sell a used Bombardier Challenger 650 bought for government travel after fierce criticism over its $28.9 million cost, April 19, 2026. The reversal came days after the purchase became public and opponents framed the aircraft as an unnecessary taxpayer-funded luxury during an affordability crunch.
Ford’s office said the province is now working with Bombardier and other partners to sell the aircraft “as quickly as possible,” according to Global News reporting on the reversal. Ford acknowledged the criticism, saying it was “not the right time” for the expense of a government plane.
The purchase had been defended as a way to provide more reliable, secure and flexible travel for the premier across Ontario, Canada and the United States. The province bought a pre-owned, 2016-made-in-Canada Challenger 650 for $28.9 million and planned to operate it out of Toronto Pearson International Airport, CityNews reported.
Why the Doug Ford jet backlash escalated
The political damage grew quickly because the plane clashed with Ford’s long-running image as a cost-conscious politician. Opposition parties called the aircraft a “gravy plane,” echoing Ford’s own past attacks on government waste. The NDP and Liberals argued the money would be better spent on affordability, health care, housing or education, while taxpayer advocates questioned the optics of buying a private jet as Ontario continues to borrow billions.
The premier’s office initially said the jet was for government business, not personal use, and argued the price was lower than aircraft spending by Quebec and the federal government. But critics said the comparison did little to answer why Ontario needed the plane at all, especially when commercial flights, charters and existing government aircraft were still available. The backlash intensified after the original purchase drew immediate criticism from opposition leaders and public finance watchdogs.
The reversal does not end questions about the cost. Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser warned the plane could be sold at a loss or remain on the books for months, while the Canadian Press reported through the Winnipeg Free Press that opposition leaders were pressing for clarity on whether taxpayers would be made whole.
A Doug Ford jet reversal with older echoes
The jet controversy also revived an earlier Ford travel dispute. In 2019, CBC News reported on opposition criticism over a proposed customized van for Ford that included luxury-style features such as a mini-fridge, television and reclining seating. The episode became part of the same broader debate over whether official travel arrangements were practical necessities or political liabilities.
That same year, Ford defended driving over flying during a Queen’s Park exchange, saying he preferred to travel by road and had refused to use the premier’s plane. The Feb. 27, 2019, Hansard transcript now reads as a pointed contrast to the 2026 aircraft purchase.
Ontario has seen this fight before. In 1981, lawmakers criticized a $10.6 million Canadair Challenger bought under then-Premier Bill Davis, with the aircraft described in the legislature as an executive jet for first-class travel. The Oct. 13, 1981, Hansard debate shows how aircraft purchases have long carried political risk in the province.
A report from The Trillium, republished by FlamboroughToday, noted that Davis later sold the jet and used the proceeds to buy two forest-fire waterbombers. Ford’s decision to sell the new aircraft follows a similar pattern: a government argues a plane is useful, critics cast it as excess, and the political cost quickly overtakes the travel case.
What happens next
Ford said he will continue travelling to build relationships with business and political leaders, including in the United States, as Ontario responds to tariffs and tries to attract investment. But the sale process leaves several unanswered questions, including the final resale price, whether the province will recover the full $28.9 million and how future premier travel will be handled.
For now, the government’s message has shifted from defending the purchase to limiting the fallout. The plane has become a test of Ford’s sensitivity to public pressure and a reminder that, in Ontario politics, expensive executive travel can become a story much larger than the aircraft itself.
