Impact of US trade policy on aviation BOX 2 In 2025, many tariffs were introduced, amended and revoked by the US government, and aviation often played an important and visible role during official talks. Some regional impacts of US trade policy on aviation are outlined below. Latin America: US trade negotiations with Brazil eventually included a last-minute exemption from the additional tariffs placed on Brazilian products, resulting in a reduced 10% tariff rate for aircraft imports from Brazil to the US.98 Middle East: During his 2025 visits to UAE, Qatar and South Korea, President Trump signed a $150+ billion combined deal with local carriers for Boeing planes and General Electric engines.99,100,101 Asia-Pacific: Aircraft were part of the trade deal with Japan in September 2025 and aviation was affected by US-China discussions too. In April 2025, several Chinese carriers were reported to have sent back US-made aircraft due to the very high tariff environment between both countries.102 After a tariff deal with China was reached in October, imports of US aircraft were expected to rise, given China expects to double its fleet to ~9,700 aircraft in the next 20 years.103,104 However, China is now spreading aircraft orders across several OEMs105 including the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), a state-owned aerospace manufacturer.106 Europe & UK: Aviation was one of the sectors exempted by the July 2025 EU-US trade deal. All aircraft, engines, landing gear and spare parts will continue to benefit from zero-for-zero tariffs between the US and EU, building on the Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft that was signed in 1979 by over 30 countries. A similar agreement with the UK earlier in 2025 entails zero tariffs on jet engines – important for the UK manufacturing sector, given aircraft are one of the top five British products exported to the US.107 Global Aviation Sustainability Outlook 2026 29