Apple’s main Indian suppliers Foxconn and Tata have recorded a significant milestone by shipping nearly $2 billion worth of iPhones to the United States in March, marking an all-time high. This surge in production and shipment was a strategic move by Apple to bypass impending tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump. In response to concerns about increased costs due to the tariffs, Apple ramped up production in India and chartered cargo flights to transport 600 tons of iPhones to the US, utilizing at least six cargo jets for the operation.
In April, the US administration imposed a 26% duty on imports from India, a much lower rate compared to China’s tariffs at the time. Despite the initial tariffs, Trump later decided to pause most duties, excluding those on China, for a period of three months. Foxconn, Apple’s primary supplier in India, exported smartphones worth $1.31 billion in March alone, the highest ever recorded for a single month. These shipments included various iPhone models, contributing to Foxconn’s total shipments to the US from India reaching $5.3 billion this year.
Tata Electronics, another key Apple supplier, also saw a substantial increase in exports, totaling $612 million in March, with a notable rise in shipments of iPhone 15 and 16 models. Notably, all Foxconn shipments to the US in March were transported by air from the Chennai Air Cargo terminal, with destinations including Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. Apple’s proactive lobbying efforts with Indian airport authorities to expedite customs clearance at Chennai airport to just six hours further facilitated the swift transportation of the devices.
