Apple maneuvers to circumvent Trump's tariffs on China by moving tons of iPhones from India

In an effort to counter the impact of the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, US tech giant Apple has resorted to a large-scale logistical maneuver. The company chartered cargo flights to transport about 1.5 million iPhones, equivalent to about 600 tons, from India to the United States, ramping up its production in that Asian country, Reuters reported.

The move offers a window into Apple's domestic strategy to circumvent Trump's tariff policies and secure supplies of its coveted devices in one of its most important markets.

Industry experts have warned that prices of iPhones in the United States could skyrocket due to the company's historical dependence on imports from China, where most of its manufacturing is concentrated and where Trump's tariffs reach an exorbitant 145%.

In contrast, imports from India face a much lower tariff of 26%, which also was put on hold this week after a 90-day pause decreed by Trump, which does not include China. "Apple wanted to get ahead of the tariffs," a source close to the operation said, according to Reuters.

Apple pushed to expedite the move

To expedite the move, the company lobbied Indian airport authorities and managed to reduce the customs clearance time at Chennai airport in the southern state of Tamil Nadu from 30 hours to just six. In this way, it replicated a model that Apple already employs in some Chinese airports, the same source pointed out. Since March, about six cargo planes, each with a 100-ton capacity, have taken off from India, including one this week just as new tariffs went into effect.

US, a key market for Apple

The US market remains key for Apple, which sells more than 220 million iPhones a year globally. According to the firm Counterpoint Research, about one-fifth of imports of iPhones to the United States now come from India, while the rest continues to come from China.