In a statement, Alaska Airlines said: "As part of this effort to control our costs, Alaska will not accept additional costs imposed by tariffs throughout our supply chain. This decision is now impacting our fleet as we’ve decided to delay the delivery of two Horizon Air Embraer E175 aircraft slated for arrival from Brazil in May. With two fewer regional aircraft than anticipated, we must reduce the summer schedule we had initially planned."
Amid an uncertain economic environment, Alaska Airlines is focusing on cost management and operational performance while aiming to minimize passenger disruptions. The airline plans to reaccommodate affected passengers with suitable travel alternatives.
While some US-imposed tariffs have been temporarily paused since April, imports from countries like Brazil still face a baseline 10% tax. This uncertainty led several airlines, including Alaska Airlines, not to release full-year financial guidance during their last earnings call.
Horizon Air currently operates 45 Embraer 175s and awaits two more deliveries. AEROIN confirmed that these delayed aircraft are ready at Embraer's factory after completing test flights and await acceptance flights. They are expected to be registered as N668QX and N669QX and will likely be the last E175 deliveries for Alaska this year.
Embraer's CEO Francisco Gomes Neto noted that US tariffs have had limited impact so far but advocated returning to a zero-tariff policy previously enjoyed by the aviation sector for decades.
Tariffs implemented in April significantly affect airlines acquiring new aircraft and manufacturers importing parts globally. Delta recently circumvented these tariffs by ferrying an Airbus A350-900 via Tokyo before bringing it into service in the US.
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