Apple airlifted $2bn worth of iPhones from India in March to evade Trump tariffs

• Record-breaking iPhone imports from India to US approach $2bn this March in Trump tariff aftermath

Apple airlifted a record of almost $2 billion worth of iPhones from suppliers in India to the United States this March as it looked to beat new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

The figure marked a significant increase from prior months, suggesting Apple was looking to get devices into the US and ready to sell ahead of potential import charges.

As reported by Reuters, the unprecedented cargo haul saw 600 tonnes of devices airlifted into the US last month from Indian suppliers Foxconn and Tata Electronics. Its shipments included the iPhone 13, 14, 16 and 16e models.

Delivering the goods

Foxconn’s shipments comprised the bulk of India’s iPhone exports to the US this March, having accounted for more than $1.3bn of the near $2bn total. This was equivalent to all Foxconn iPhone exports in January and February combined, and made March 2025 the supplier’s biggest month ever for such device shipments.

Overall, Foxconn has shipped $5.3bn worth of supplies to the US so far this year.

Meanwhile, Tata Electronics exported $612 million worth of Apple devices to the US last month, up approximately 63% since February. 

Trump's tariffs

Apple’s increased imports came in response to US President Donald Trump's impending tariffs, which were officially announced on April 2nd. India was one of a number of countries slapped with larger 'recriprocal tariffs', with leveis of 26%.

The levies sparked global economic turmoil, which impacted the games and wider tech industries, particularly hardware manufacturers like Apple and Nintendo, which have manufacturing operations in countries such as China, India and Vietnam.

Trump's tariffs came into force on April 9th, but were quickly paused for most countries for 90 days, though a 10% charge remains. Smartphones and various electronics are also among goods to since have been exempted temporarily, but how long this lasts remains to be seen.