Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian has confirmed that the airline will not be paying tariff fees on new deliveries of Airbus aircraft. During Delta’s Quarter 1 earnings call, Ed Bastian reiterated this position in unequivocal language: “We will not be paying tariffs on any aircraft deliveries we take.”
When a major carrier like Delta pushes back against paying tariffs, it may be indicative of greater strategic decisions for their business model, supply chains, or global alliances.
Delta was founded in 1924 as a crop-dusting business called Huff Daland Dusters in Macon, Georgia. It later grew into a passenger airline in 1929. The airline officially became Delta Air Lines in 1945 and named itself after the Mississippi Delta region.
Delta’s headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a hub airport that serves as one of the busiest airports in the world. The airline flies to numerous domestic and international destinations on six continents. In 2023, Delta was ranked as among the world’s largest airlines by passenger traffic.
As of late 2024, Delta counted on receiving delivery of 43 aircraft from Airbus. Some of the planes were set to come from production lines outside the United States.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said in February that the company might favor non-U.S. deliveries if tariffs interfered with imports.
After Trump announced a 90-day suspension of most tariffs on Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Canada would face a 10% tariff along with other countries, before a White House official said there was no change.
