Aeromexico eyes Delta's CSeries jet order amid US trade spat, sources say

Aeromexico has held preliminary talks to take some Bombardier CSeries jets orders from Delta, which owns a stake in the Mexican carrier, to avoid possible US trade duties levied on the planes, two sources familiar with the matter said. Mexico’s largest carrier, 49% owned by Delta, is considering taking an unknown number of the 75 CSeries planes ordered by Delta in 2016, one of the sources said. Delta’s CSeries deliveries, scheduled to begin in spring 2018, face a possible 300 percent US duty stemming from a trade dispute with Boeing. In October, Bombardier gave a controlling stake in the CSeries program to Airbus, which would enable assembly in the US in a move it says will help bypass potential import duties. Under the proposed Aeromexico deal, the single-aisle jets would be sold to Aeromexico and fly under the banner of the Mexican carrier which would not have to pay a US duty, one of the sources added. “It’s not a way for Aeromexico to fly for Delta,” the same source said. “But it keeps the planes within the Delta family.”<br/>