Doug Ford Agrees to Sell Bombardier Challenger 650 Private Jet After Ontario Backlash

Ontario Premier Doug Ford moved quickly to reverse course on a recently purchased private aircraft after public and political backlash, with multiple outlets reporting that the province would sell the plane “as quickly as possible.”

“Ontario Premier Doug Ford agrees to sell $21m private jet following outcry The Canadian province of Ontario is now selling a jet recently bought for Premier Doug Ford, after he faced criticism for the purchase of the private, pre-owned jet for C$28”

BBC

The Times of India said Ford acknowledged the controversy in a statement on Sunday, saying, “Despite the best of intentions, I have heard and agree that now is not the right time for the expense of a government plane,” and added that Ontario was working with Bombardier and other partners to sell the aircraft.

BBC

The BBC similarly reported that Ford agreed to sell a jet recently bought for C$28.9m ($21m; £15.5m), quoting Ford’s statement that it will be sold “as quickly as possible.”

Global News described the shift as Ford backing off the purchase after backlash, quoting the same line from the premier’s office: “Despite the best of intentions, I have heard and agree that now is not the right time for the expense of a government plane,” and adding that the province would sell the plane “as quickly as possible.”

The Globe and Mail framed the turnaround as happening “just two days after the purchase was revealed publicly,” and said the preowned 2016 Challenger 650 cost $28.9-million.

CTV News also reported the reversal, saying Ford “backs off government plane purchase, seeks to sell aircraft,” and the SooToday local report said the jet was grounded and Ford promised to sell it after a “firestorm of criticism.”

Across the coverage, the aircraft was identified as a Bombardier Challenger 650, built in 2016, with the Globe and Mail and BBC both describing it as a preowned 2016 Challenger 650 made by Bombardier Inc. and the Times of India specifying the plane was built in 2016 and previously owned in South America.

The initial purchase drew immediate scrutiny because of its price tag and the way it was justified, with outlets citing the same core figures while emphasizing different angles.

The Times of India said the province bought a “$28.9 million private aircraft,” identifying it as a Bombardier Challenger 650 and saying it “was bought for government use and was expected to be operational by end of July.”

CTV News

It also reported that the jet “was built in 2016 and was previously owned in South America,” and that it underwent “security and mechanical checks by the Ontario Provincial Police and Bombardier,” with officials saying “no upgrades were required.”

The BBC reported that the plane was a “Bombardier Challenger 650 executive jet, built in Canada in 2016,” and said Ford’s office had said he would use it for official travel, including to the US to advocate against the Trump administration’s tariffs.

Global News described the purchase as being confirmed on Friday for $28.9 million to aid “certain, flexible, secure and confidential travel” across Canada and the U.S., and it quoted the premier’s office language about the purpose.

The Toronto Star and Bowen Island Undercurrent both described the aircraft as a 2016 Bombardier Challenger 650 and said the purchase was for about $28.9 million, with the Star saying the government took possession of the jet and the Undercurrent describing it as a “$29-million private jet.”

The Toronto Star added a specific operational detail, saying the jet “can seat 12 passengers and has a 7,400 km range,” and SooToday repeated those same figures, saying the Challenger 650 has “room for 12 passengers and a range of 7,400 kilometres.”

Even as the province moved to sell, the earlier justification remained visible in the reporting, including Ford’s statement that he would “continue the work of building relationships with business and political leaders, both across Canada and in the United States, to fight tariffs, attract investments and create jobs for Ontario workers.”

Opposition leaders and taxpayer groups attacked the purchase as out of touch, repeatedly using the “gravy plane” framing and arguing that the timing was wrong given affordability pressures.

“Published:April 19, 2026 at 11:21AM EDT The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News”

CTV News

The Times of India quoted interim Ontario Liberal leader John Fraser saying, “Doug Ford didn’t see the light. He felt the heat. Now, only after intense backlash, he’s scrambling to sell his gravy plane,” and it also quoted New Democratic Party leader Marit Stiles calling the aircraft a “gravy plane” and saying the premier should be “flying economy like the rest of us.”

The BBC reported that critics painted the purchase as unnecessary and said the Canadian Taxpayers Federation told Ford to “stick to flying commercial,” while it also quoted Marit Stiles saying, “Doug Ford is turning the plane around mid-air for an emergency landing because he got caught living like a rockstar on your dime.”

Global News likewise quoted Fraser calling it Ford’s “gravy plane” and said Fraser argued that “At a time when people can’t afford to buy groceries or gas, Doug Ford is buying himself a private jet,” while it also quoted Mike Schreiner saying he was “outraged” and that Ford’s “backtrack isn’t enough because this is a pattern that happens over and over.”

The Toronto Star quoted Stiles again, saying, “Doug Ford is turning the plane around mid-air for an emergency landing because he got caught living like a rockstar on your dime,” and it quoted Fraser saying, “Trying to buy a private jet while families are struggling to afford groceries and gas tells you everything you need to know,” along with his warning that the jet “could easily be sold at a loss and sit on the books as a liability for taxpayers for months.”

The SooToday report added a statement from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s Ontario director, Noah Jarvis, saying, “It is completely unacceptable Ford is billing taxpayers for a private jet so he can fly around the province in luxury,” and it tied the criticism to debt and debt interest charges, quoting Jarvis’s line about “borrowing billions of dollars this year and wasting more than a billion dollars a month on debt interest charges.”

In the same reporting stream, Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said the reversal was not enough, telling The Trillium that “Their leverage around selling it has been lost now, because any potential buyer knows what a scandal this is for the premier,” and he argued that the premier’s backtracking showed he would “backtrack” when there was enough public pressure.

Even as Ford’s office stressed the plane was for government business only, Global News said the premier’s office “did not reply to a question asking if anyone other than Ford would get to use it,” leaving critics with a continuing line of attack about accountability and transparency.

While most outlets agreed on the basic sequence—purchase revealed, criticism, then a promise to sell—their framing differed in ways that shaped what readers saw as the central issue.

The Times of India emphasized the political backlash and the province’s debt context, quoting Ford’s office and opposition leaders, and it reported that Ontario’s latest budget listed “debt servicing costs at $17.2 billion,” which it said exceeded spending on post secondary education.

SooToday

The BBC foregrounded the outcry and the cost conversion, describing the jet as bought for “C$28.9m ($21m; £15.5m)” and noting Ford’s polling “hovers around 31%, according to an Angus Reid Poll from earlier this year.”

Global News leaned into the “emergency landing” metaphor, quoting Marit Stiles saying “Today we heard that Doug Ford has done an emergency landing,” and it also added a critique about transparency, quoting Mike Schreiner that Ford “doesn’t want to be transparent, he doesn’t want to be held accountable.”

The Toronto Star framed the reversal as a “flip-flop” and said the “gravy plane” had “crashed and burned,” while it tied the purchase to Ford’s “crusade against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods.”

The Globe and Mail described the purchase as being revealed by the Toronto Star and said opposition parties at Queen’s Park claimed Ford only decided to sell after “intense public backlash,” while it also connected the reversal to Ford’s broader political record, including the Greenbelt investigation by the RCMP.

Bowen Island Undercurrent, drawing on a Canadian Press report, described the jet as a “$29-million private jet” and included a line from Fraser warning that the plane “could easily be sold at a loss and sit on the books as a liability for taxpayers for months,” while it also included Mike Schreiner calling the situation “outrageous.”

Even the tabloid-style Toronto Sun framed the episode as a grounded “Air Ford One,” saying the province was working to sell the plane “as quickly as possible,” and it quoted Ford’s statement again as the pivot point.

After Ford’s statement that the province would work with Bombardier and other partners to sell the Challenger 650 “as quickly as possible,” the reporting emphasized lingering questions about cost, timing, and accountability.

“Editor's note: This article originally appeared on The Trillium, a Village Media news source devoted exclusively to covering provincial politics at Queen’s Park”

SooToday

The Times of India said Ford’s office was “working with Bombardier and other partners to sell the aircraft,” and it reported that opposition figures warned the quick turnaround could cost taxpayers, with Fraser suggesting the jet “could be sold at a loss and remain a financial burden.”

The Globe and Mail

The BBC similarly noted that critics argued the purchase was unnecessary and quoted the Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s call for Ford to “stick to flying commercial,” while it also reported Ford’s office had said the jet would be used for official travel to advocate against the Trump administration’s tariffs.

Global News added that the premier’s office stressed the plane “isn’t a private jet, it’s a plane for government business only,” but it also said the office “did not reply to a question asking if anyone other than Ford would get to use it,” leaving open how the aircraft would have been used before the reversal.

The Globe and Mail reported that Ontario’s decision to purchase the aircraft put it “offside with many of its provincial counterparts,” including Alberta and British Columbia, whose premiers fly on commercial airlines, and it said the Ontario government previously owned two King Air turboprop planes, which had been sold.

The Globe and Mail also described Ford’s travel plans and schedule, saying he was “scheduled to attend a Canadian Chamber of Commerce business summit on Monday in Ottawa” with the premiers of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Northwest Territories, and it said he would visit South Carolina in June and Utah in July to attend conferences with other premiers and meet with governors.

Even as the sale process begins, the political consequences remained central in the coverage: the Toronto Star said Ford would be in Ottawa on Monday for a business summit with premiers of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and the Northwest Territories, and it also quoted Fraser warning “How much is this going to cost Ontarians? We may never know.”

In the background of the jet controversy, multiple outlets also tied the debate to broader governance issues, including freedom-of-information changes, with Bowen Island Undercurrent quoting Fraser saying, “How much is this going to cost Ontarians? We may never know,” while referring to Ford’s plan to make the premier’s records and those of his cabinet ministers secret through changes to freedom-of-information laws.