France
USA trade laneAircraft, engines and parts are among the largest US imports from France. The aerospace supply chain around Toulouse, Bordeaux and the Paris region ships engine modules, components, repaired and overhauled parts, and tooling to US airlines, repair stations and manufacturers, and French industrial machinery — packaging lines, food-processing equipment, machine tools — follows the same route. In this trade the paperwork is part of the cargo: a part without the release certificate the operator accepts is unusable, and a civil-aircraft part entered without the right certification pays duty it did not owe.
We work through WCA partner agents in France, who collect from the supplier or repair station, check the documents and handle dangerous-goods components through certified partners, with urgent parts flown from Paris CDG and machinery shipped by sea from Le Havre. The US entry is filed by our licensed customs brokers, including the civil-aircraft duty-free claim, and AGF arranges delivery to your hangar, repair station or plant.
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Shipping Aerospace Parts & Machinery from France to USA
Parts mostly fly. Aircraft-on-ground (AOG) and urgent parts go on the earliest suitable flight from Paris CDG through our partners, with the entry prepared before the aircraft lands. Engines on transport stands move on main-deck freighters or by sea on flat racks, booked unit by unit. Many aircraft components are dangerous goods — lithium batteries, oxygen generators, fire extinguishers, evacuation slides and life rafts, pyrotechnic devices — and some, such as chemical oxygen generators, are forbidden on passenger aircraft, so each item is classified before booking.
Machinery goes by sea. Machines within container gauge ship crated in standard or high-cube containers; larger units go on flat racks or open tops as out-of-gauge cargo, or breakbulk. From Le Havre, transit is roughly 9-16 days on the water to New York and about 15 days to Savannah; Los Angeles, through the Panama Canal, takes roughly 28-36 days. We book the crated dimensions and centre of gravity, not the brochure figures, and arrange rigging at your end.
- AOG and urgent parts on the earliest suitable flight from Paris CDG
- Engines on stands by main-deck freighter or flat rack by sea, booked per unit
- DG components — batteries, oxygen generators, extinguishers, pyrotechnics — classified before booking
- Machinery crated within container gauge; flat rack, open top or breakbulk above it
What Drives the Cost
- Urgency: AOG air freight versus planned sea freight
- Dimensions and weight — engine stands and out-of-gauge machines need special equipment
- Dangerous-goods content and the aircraft types that may carry it
- Declared value and insurance on high-value parts
- Crating, rigging and heavy trucking at both ends
- Duty status: civil-aircraft certification, or for machinery the EU Section 301 top-up and any Section 232 metals exposure
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Our licensed customs brokers verify every code before you commit to an order.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8411.91 / 8411.99 | Parts of turbojets, turbofans and turboprops | Duty-free when certified for use in civil aircraft; listed civil-aircraft goods are also exempt from the July 2026 Section 301 layer. |
| 8807 | Parts of aircraft (airframe and structural parts; heading 8803 before 2022) | Duty-free with civil-aircraft certification. Many components classify by function in Chapters 84, 85 and 90 instead, and the civil-aircraft provision can still apply. |
| 8422 / 8438 | Packaging, filling and food-processing machinery | Low or zero base rates, topped up to 10% in total under the EU Section 301 measure; check Section 232 steel and aluminum derivative listings. |
| 8456–8463 | Machine tools for metal | Same EU mechanism; the EU's 15% Section 232 cap does not cover steel and aluminum derivatives, so listed lines carry their own rates. |
Regulations and Compliance
Airworthiness release: EASA Form 1 and FAA 8130-3
US operators and repair stations need each part to arrive with an authorized release certificate they can accept: an FAA Form 8130-3, or an EASA Form 1 acceptable under the US–EU aviation safety agreement. Parts repaired or overhauled by French repair stations that hold both EASA and FAA approvals are commonly released on a dual-release certificate. Agree what the receiving organization accepts before the part ships — a part with the wrong paperwork is quarantined, not installed.
Duty-free entry for civil aircraft goods
Under the Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft, eligible aircraft, engines, parts and components enter duty-free when the importer certifies that they are for use in civil aircraft and claims the civil-aircraft provision on the entry. The certification must be supportable — purchase orders, the operator or repair station, FAA approvals — and the July 2026 Section 301 action also exempts listed goods entered for civil-aircraft use. Our customs brokers file the claim; the evidence comes from you.
Section 232 and the Airbus–Boeing tariffs
A proclamation of 9 July 2026 on commercial aircraft, jet engines and parts imposed no Section 232 tariff; it opened 180 days of negotiations with trading partners, after which tariffs or other measures could follow — a date to watch in early 2027. Separately, certain French aircraft parts were among the goods in the Airbus–Boeing dispute tariffs, suspended since 2021; we have not been able to confirm their US-side status after July 2026, so it is checked at quoting.
Dangerous goods
Lithium batteries, chemical oxygen generators, fire extinguishers, evacuation slides and life rafts, airbag and pyrotechnic devices, and engines with fuel residue are regulated dangerous goods. They need correct classification, packing and declarations by trained shippers, and some can fly only on cargo aircraft. We arrange DG shipments through certified partners.
Machinery: tariffs and US electrical approval
French machinery pays its normal duty — often zero or low — topped up to 10% in total under the EU Section 301 measure, and lines listed as Section 232 steel or aluminum derivatives carry that layer, which the EU's 15% cap does not cover. A CE mark is not a US listing: specify US voltage and a UL 508A-style panel, and budget for an NRTL field evaluation where your jurisdiction requires it.
Export controls on the French side
Dual-use and military items need French export authorisation before they leave France — dual-use licences come from the French dual-use goods service (SBDU) — and defense articles are a separate regime on the US side too. This guide covers civil aerospace goods and industrial machinery; the seller confirms the export classification, and it decides the ship date.
Door-to-Door Import Service
We start from the part or machine: what it is, its release certificate, any dangerous-goods content, dimensions and weight, and whether it is for civil-aircraft use. Our partner agents in France collect from the supplier or repair station, check the documents and book the flight from Paris CDG or the sailing from Le Havre, with DG items packed and declared by certified partners.
Our licensed customs brokers file the entry, with the civil-aircraft certification where it applies, and we deliver to your hangar, repair station or plant — by expedited truck for AOG parts, or by heavy haul with rigging arranged for machinery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are aircraft parts duty-free into the US?
What is the difference between an EASA Form 1 and an FAA 8130-3?
How fast can you ship an AOG part from France?
Is there a tariff on machinery imported from France?
Aerospace Parts & Machinery is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.
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