How it started:

Delta says told Airbus won’t pay tariffs on new aircraft

boom

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 9, 2025

Nearly a month later, here’s how it’s going. 

Airways Magazine and AirNav Radar report that Delta Air Lines has taken a creative approach to sidestepping U.S. tariffs by rerouting a brand-new Airbus A350-900 (tail number N528DN) from Toulouse, France, to Tokyo, Japan. The move allows the aircraft to be classified as “used” before entering the U.S. airspace, potentially avoiding import duties. 

Here is Airways Magazine’s take on Delta’s move to avoid tariffs on a new jetliner:

Delta Air Lines routed a new Airbus A350-900 (N528DN) from Toulouse to Tokyo instead of the U.S. to avoid import tariffs. By operating it internationally first, the jet was not classified as “new” upon U.S. entry, potentially sidestepping fees. 

🔴 Delta Air Lines routed a new Airbus A350-900 (N528DN) from Toulouse to Tokyo instead of the U.S. to avoid import tariffs. By operating it internationally first, the jet was not classified as “new” upon U.S. entry, potentially sidestepping fees. #Airways #News @AirNavRadar pic.twitter.com/UJrfLOvcyf

— Airways Magazine (@airwaysmagazine) May 4, 2025

AirNav Radar also commented:

Delta Air Lines appears to have found a clever workaround to sidestep U.S. tariffs on new aircraft. Instead of flying its brand-new Airbus A350 (registration N528DN) directly from the Airbus factory in Toulouse, France to the United States, Delta is routing the jet to Tokyo, Japan.

Why the long way around? By operating the aircraft internationally before bringing it to the U.S., Delta can avoid it being classified as “new” upon arrival—thus potentially dodging hefty import tariffs.

This move aligns with similar strategies we’ve seen from other carriers looking to optimize international trade and tax regulations. The aircraft is currently en route as flight DL9936. 

Delta’s Smart Detour: Avoiding U.S. Tariffs with a Tactical Airbus Delivery

Delta Air Lines appears to have found a clever workaround to sidestep U.S. tariffs on new aircraft. Instead of flying its brand-new Airbus A350 (registration N528DN) directly from the Airbus factory in… pic.twitter.com/CtiwCbbeXH

— AirNav Radar (@AirNavRadar) May 3, 2025

Delta’s sidestepping tariff move comes weeks after CEO Ed Bastian told investors on an earnings call that he was “very clear” with Airbus about not paying tariffs: “We will not be paying tariffs on any aircraft deliveries,” adding, “These times are pretty uncertain, and if you start to put a 20% incremental cost on top of an aircraft, it gets very difficult to make that math work.” 

While this is not a new strategy, the question remains whether the Trump administration will punish Delta for “manipulation,” as some X users suggest, for sidestepping tariffs. 

Will other airlines follow Delta’s lead?

Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

The State Department has approved a potential $310.5 million arms sale to Ukraine for training and sustainment of the country’s fleet of US-made F-16 fighter jets, signaling that the Trump administration is preparing to provide long-term military support.

The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the sale will include aircraft modifications, upgrades, personnel training, maintenance, sustainment support, and other types of equipment.

Several of the US’s European allies have provided Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, and the US, under the Biden administration, was involved in training Ukrainian pilots. A report from The War Zone just revealed that the US has been providing Ukraine with decommissioned, non-operational F-16 fighter jets.

A US Air Force spokesman told The War Zone that the Air Force has “supported the sustainment of European-donated F-16s to Ukraine by providing disused and completely non-operational F-16s to Ukraine for parts.”

“These F-16s were retired from active US use and are not flyable. Importantly, they lack critical components such as an engine or radar and could not be reconstituted for operational use,” the statement said.

The approval of the F-16 training and sustainment deal came a few days after the Trump administration moved forward with its very first arms sale for Ukraine by notifying Congress of its plans to approve the export of unspecified “defense articles” worth $50 million or more.

That first sale is being moved forward as a direct commercial sale (DCS), a deal where the State Department gives a private company permission to sell weapons directly to a foreign government. The F-16 training and sustainment deal is a Foreign Military Sale (FMS), which involves the US government in the sale.

The US-Ukraine minerals deal signed last week also signals that the US is planning to provide long-term military support.

U.S. President Donald Trump says “tremendous hatred” between Russia and Ukraine may block peace talks. Saying 5,000 soldiers per week are dying, Trump said “if I can save 5,000 souls, I just love doing it.”#UkraineWar #Trump #PeaceTalks #RussiaUkraine pic.twitter.com/dJwT2zMiei

— CGTN Europe (@CGTNEurope) May 5, 2025

Under the agreement, future US military aid will count as a contribution to a joint US-Ukraine investment fund. Critics have said this ensures the US is even more intertwined in Ukraine’s fate.