Delta Air Lines recently made headlines by creatively avoiding U.S. tariffs on new aircraft. Instead of flying a brand-new Airbus A350-900 directly from Toulouse, France to the United States, Delta rerouted the aircraft to Tokyo, Japan. By operating the plane internationally first, it was not classified as “new” upon entering U.S. airspace, potentially saving the airline millions in import duties.
Airways Magazine and AirNav Radar reported on Delta’s strategic move, praising the airline for finding a clever workaround to sidestep the tariffs. This tactic aligns with similar strategies used by other carriers to optimize international trade and tax regulations.
Delta’s decision to avoid paying tariffs came after CEO Ed Bastian made it clear to Airbus that the airline would not be paying any additional fees on aircraft deliveries. While this strategy is not new, the question remains whether the Trump administration will take action against Delta for this maneuver. Some suggest that Delta could face consequences for manipulating the system to avoid tariffs.
It will be interesting to see if other airlines follow Delta’s lead in finding creative ways to navigate the complex world of international trade regulations.