Apple Airlifted 600 Tons of iPhones to U.S. to Try To Beat Tariffs

As high tariffs were set to hit some of its biggest suppliers—including those in China, India, and Vietnam—Apple reportedly chartered cargo flights to transport 600 tons, or about 1.5 million iPhones, to the U.S., Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez reported for Fortune Tech.

Apple remains in a precarious position regarding its supply chain. I Photo: Apple

Since March, approximately six planes with 100-ton capacities have flown iPhones from India to the U.S., according to a Reuters report.

The company also reportedly lobbied Indian airport authorities to cut customs clearance time at Chennai International Airport in southern India from the usual 30 hours to just six, expediting the airlift. Apple “wanted to beat the tariff,” a source told Reuters.

Apple is also ramping up production at its iPhone plants in India, adding workers and even operating Foxconn’s largest factory on Sundays—typically a rest day—according to the report.

In recent years, Apple has shifted more production to India as tensions between the U.S. and China have escalated.

The company assembled as much as 14% of its iPhones in India in 2024, according to Bloomberg.

Apple remains in a precarious position regarding its supply chain, wrote Dan Ives, a Wedbush Securities tech analyst, in a note: “China remains the biggest X variable related to Apple and the broader supply chain,” he said.