Ford says Ontario has sold controversial private jet at no loss

TORONTO — Ontario has sold a recently purchased used private jet for the same $28.9 million price it paid, Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday.

Ford’s office announced the purchase of the used 2016 Bombardier Challenger 650 jet on Friday and by Sunday, the premier had agreed to sell it after blowback from the public.

“We gave it back to Bombardier for the exact same price, no one lost any money,” Ford said at a conference held by The Globe and Mail. His office confirmed the sale price of $28.9 million later on Wednesday morning.

Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said he was “not aware that we’re out any money.”

He said the province will disclose documents about the purchase and sale of the plane “in the normal course of action.”

Bombardier confirmed it purchased the plane back from the province, but declined to answer questions about the deal.

“Bombardier cannot go into details about customer contracts due to our confidentiality policy,” said Louise Solomita, a spokesperson for the company.

The province took possession of the plane last week, news that the Toronto Star broke on Friday and that was then confirmed by the premier’s office.

The office said Ford needed the plane because Ontario is vast, and he also needed something more secure in order to travel to the United States in his ongoing fight against President Donald Trump’s trade war.

On Wednesday, Ford said the province did not take possession of the plane, and that Bombardier has it.

Ford apologized for how the transaction went down, saying he should have told taxpayers in advance and made the case as to why he needed the plane. But he did not apologize for buying it.

He said he still felt it was the right decision to buy the plane, but he decided to reverse course after hearing from people over the weekend.

The premier also said it’s very difficult to travel in northern Ontario while flying in single-propeller planes. Ford has spoken often about his intense fear of flying.

The purchase last week set off a storm of anger among taxpayers, which included a deluge of calls and messages to Ford’s cellphone.

Criticism from across the political spectrum was swift, too, with opposition parties dubbing the aircraft the “gravy plane.”

The premier made it clear he was miffed about media coverage of the purchase, saying he is under more scrutiny than the prime minister and every other premier in the country.

Ford said cabinet signed off on the purchase earlier this year and the plane would have been used for other government purposes, not just to ferry him around.

On Tuesday, New Democrat Leader Marit Stiles wrote to auditor general Shelley Spence asking for an investigation into the purchase and sale of the plane.

“There are serious and growing concerns about the financial stewardship, transparency, and overall value for money associated with this transaction,” Stiles wrote.

“Ontarians deserve a clear and independent accounting of how public funds have been used in this matter.”

Interim Liberal leader John Fraser said Ford owns the decision to buy the jet and that decision shows “he’s out of touch.”

“The premier bought a luxury jet. He owns that. It’s never going away, it’s part of his legacy,” Fraser said.

“We’re half a trillion dollars in debt and the premier said, ‘It’s OK, I want to buy a private jet.’ And you know what? All the penguins lined up — they can’t fly though — all the penguins lined up and said, ‘Yes sir, yes sir.’ I guess he’s the king penguin.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 22, 2026.

Liam Casey and Allison Jones, The Canadian Press