Here’s how Delta Air Lines is avoiding the Trump administration’s tariffs on new Airbus jets manufactured in Europe: they aren’t importing them.
- The planes fly from Toulouse, France to somewhere other than the United States, like Tokyo, so that when they come here to the States they aren’t ‘new’. This has been reported but I am not certain it is correct.
- And what they’ve done in the past is have the aircraft fly only internationally, landing in the U.S. and then leaving, so that they aren’t ‘imported’.
There is currently a 10% tariff in place on imports, including Airbus jets manufactured in Europe. There is an announced 90-day pause on so-called reciprocal tariffs (that are calculated based on trade deficits) that would impose a 20% levy on products from the European Union.
One Mile at a Time writes that Delta used this same strategy during the first Trump administration when similar tariffs were put in place.
Airbus A350-900, Credit: Delta
Aviation watchdog JonNYC flagged that Delta is taking delivery of a new Airbus A350-900 widebody (registration N528DN) that was manufactured in Toulouse, France. The plane will fly to Tokyo Narita prior to entering service.
www.flightaware.com/live/flight/…
Tariffs be damned, Delta taking delivery of a new A350 tomorrow (via Japan): www.flightaware.com/live/flight/…
— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) April 28, 2025 at 11:40 AM
They are also taking delivery of an Airbus A220 manufactured at the Mirabel facility in Quebec, Canada, about 45 minutes outside of Montreal.
"Delta also taking a new A220 from Mirabel tomorrow"
— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) April 28, 2025 at 12:00 PM
It’s not hard to keep a widebody aircraft flying only internationally, though airlines will often reposition planes between U.S. hubs by operating a domestic flight. That may not be possible at this time for Delta. It is tougher to do it with a narrowbody like an A220, but flying between destinations in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean into and back out of Delta hubs is doable. The more planes that have to be handled this way, the tougher it gets.
Tracking restrictions on aircraft poses all sorts of challenges. Several years ago, American Airlines improperly flew a non-ETOPS certified Airbus A321 to Hawaii. Legacy US Airways hadn’t invested in a required raft, so while the aircraft’s range was fine it wasn’t permitted to fly overwater for significant lengths of time. At scale, it becomes increasingly complex to keep fleets segregated as required by this strategy.
Airbus A350-900, Credit: Delta
Earlier this month Delta CEO Ed Bastian was asked about tariffs on new aircraft and he was unequivocal that they wouldn’t be paying the tariffs. This was interpreted to mean either that Airbus would pick up the cost, or that deliveries would be deferred.
Obviously in this environment, we are going to work very closely with Airbus, which is the only airline we’ve got deliveries coming from for the balance of this year. And they’ve been a great partner. We’ll do our very best to see what we have to do to minimize tariffs. But the one thing that you need to know we are very clear on is that we will not be paying tariffs on any aircraft deliveries we take.
Now we know what he meant. Tthey are taking deliveries of new planes! And they have a way to avoid paying these tariffs.
Sweet. @Tim Dunn! It’s happening!! We’re gonna Keep Climbing, sir!!
Have no idea who would ever say again that republicans are pro-business! 😀
Such a simple and elegant solution!
Other US based airlines might follow this strategy as well.
Out of service maintenance events on ‘non-imports’?
@L737 @John Robert Stone — Manufactured crises require manufactured solutions!
@Andrew — Apparently, the GOP is gone; it’s now His party, and it has no principles, just fealty to the mad-king, even if it generally destroys wealth, increases the debt and deficit, diminishes the value of the US dollar, costs us our 401(k)s, and results in supply shortages (coming soon!) Get excited for the depression! Nearly 100 years since 1929, except this one was self-inflicted by one guy. Bah!
(I suspect that some mendacious prick is gonna dare to disingenuously debate here on the nuance of whether dethroning of the dollar as the global currency would ‘help’ with the debt or deficit… oh brother… in advance, please, do tell to us how our currency becoming worthless would ever possibly be good for anyone but the doomsday preppers. I’ll skip ahead: It wouldn’t. Never. Stop it.)
@Andrew – The GOP abrogated any claim to well… anything really when they announced that they literally have no platform but would just do whatever you-know-who feels like. Apparently they feel that principles are for chumps.
I wonder if Scott Kirby remains such a big fan of Trump’s tariffs given exactly how much money Ed Bastian saves to DL’s bottom line…
Like my daddy always said, “Son, where there is a way, there is a will.”
Well Dunn Delta!
This move also serves a secondary purpose beyond tariffs. It enables Delta to “trial balloon” new international routes “unofficially” and with plausible deniability (avoiding anger from “stepping on the turf” of partner airlines) to better compete with United in Asia and perhaps American in the Caribbean.. If the routes are successful then they can be made permanent. If they are not then they can be cancelled once the tariff fog clears, using the reversal of the tariffs as the public rationale for eliminating the trial route.
Delta kept its maintenance facility at Tokyo Narita airport even after it ended service there.
They have used it to do induction maintenance on many A350s and 330-900s under both the current and previous administrations.
The real challenge is the A321XLR – which AA and UA have ordered – which is only being produced in Europe right now; other versions of the 321 are being produced in Alabama.
and all of this only matters until something is worked out on tariffs and then the aircraft is “imported” to the US.
Delta is still scheduled to receive more new widebody deliveries than any other airline in 2025 just as they did in 2024. and the 350-1000s start coming next year.
So Delta curcumvents the tarffis to screw the USA out of revenue. Sounds about right for the DEI Kings,,,
It’s just a little odd that, for the many years tariffs have been imposed on the US (not reciprocally, but only one way upon the US),, not one word was said about it. There was so little mention of tariffs imposed upon the US that most of us had forgotten that thre were even tariffs in place at all. For how many years, how many decades have we listened to politicians blab on endlessly about the importance of free and fair trade but never did a damn thing about it while so much of the world was allowed to leach off of our revenues, while we have funded a great percentage of other countries military defense costs, other countries WHO:& NATO contributions? And every polished politician allowed it to go on. WE paid for all that!
Enter President Trump who is actually DOING all those things that politicians in years past spoke of, that sounded so good and never did. Suddenly, some seem to be completely losing their crap. Newsflash: we can’t have free and fair trade if there aren’t policies in place to foster free and fair trade. We are sick and we are tired of shouldering the world’s financial obligations.
As for Delta Airlines, which clearly reaps many great incentives and advantages on the revenue & taxation front, I say that there really are few things more un-American than circumventing current policies aimed at making free and fair trade a reality for the entire world, including us, the US. If Delta wants to avoid tariffs by making frst stops out of country, or otherwise, great! I say Delta can just pack its bags and GTFO, move to Tokyo or wherever it wants to go. Delta has no business reaping the rewards and benefits of the same nation whose policies it plans to circumvent. I have a feeling this could well backfire on Delta.
Still, I don’t understand why it was perfectly fine when only we had tariffs levied on us but when we impose tariffs reciprocally, suddenly, everyone loses their crap. Aside from free & fair trade, all that Trump is doing is bringing all the manufacturing and lost jobs back from overseas that our government has been exporting g for decades. This is a great thing.
@ Jack Jobes Hear Hear!!
Clever, smart and a great idea! Good for Delta! trump and his crazy regime have been outsmarted!
I think this is brilliant. Bravo, Delta!
@JCW — I see what you did there. After all is said and Dunn.
@jack jobes @Catman — #45/47 literally said about his not paying taxes: “That makes me smart.” Tariffs are indeed taxes. Yes, he and Delta are ‘screwing’ the USA out of revenue. So, when do we go after each of them, fellas? Oh, wait, we’re not going to do that, are we? Huh, so it’s just corruption. Cool. Cool, cool. Cool, cool, cool. Got it.
Tim, what are the sizes of the UA and DL widebody fleets this year, even with a DL receiving a handful more?
What will the widebody fleet sizes be in 2026 and 2027?
Thanks to the widebody fleet sizes, which airline is the biggest across the Atlantic, Pacific, and down to Latin America, while also growing significantly in the domestic market, while also growing in revenue and profits, all without billions of extra credit card revenue that they will have in a few years.
Not saying any of it matters, but you brought up widebody delivery counts.
“ The real challenge is the A321XLR – which AA and UA have ordered”
Classic TD.
Mark,
this isn’t a tool throwing contest.
It is simply a statement of fact.
Delta is expected to receive 12 new Airbus widebodies in 2025; UA is expecting to receive 10.
DL is also expected to retire some 767s. UA can’t let go of any of its widebodies so its widebody fleet will get older and less fuel efficient relative to DL’s.
and it clearly matters if DL can maintain its Airbus deliveries despite tariffs and UA can’t get anywhere near the number of 787s it ordered, tariffs or not.
roberto,
it is fact.
As of now, the XLR is only produced in Hamburg. Other 320 family variants are produced in Mobile.
It is the facts you two don’t want to hear and are relevant that I bring.
@Roberto — Ouch. Looks like your TD got overturned by the ref. Easy now, you might also get a 15 yard penalty for excessive (premature) celebration. Bah!
and roberto and mark,
you do realize that DL made more money (profit) on its international network than UA even though UA’s international system is 30% larger?
And if you don’t like the DOT’s numbers, then tell us how much of UA’s domestic profits need to be taken away to make UA’s international profits higher. The total doesn’t change.
UA provided the numbers that the DOT uses to calculate profits for every global region.
If you don’t like them, you at least need to use a logical process to rewrite what you don’t like – but you can’t change the bottom line facts.
“Keep Climbing”