China has been slow-walking final CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) approvals needed for Airbus jets to enter service in the country, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. The tactic is a signal of Beijing’s impatience with the pace at which European aviation regulator EASA is moving to certify the COMAC C919, China’s state-backed narrowbody intended to compete with the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. The delays cover the final administrative approvals that allow newly delivered Airbus aircraft to begin commercial operations in China — distinct from the original purchase agreements — and have persisted for several months, the people said.
The maneuver adds a new lever to a relationship that has grown increasingly strategic. COMAC had delivered 32 C919s to Chinese carriers by end-2025, and EASA dispatched its own test pilots to Shanghai in late 2025 for verification flights, but independent analysts have estimated full European certification could still be years away. China accounts for a large share of Airbus’s order book — Airbus’s own market forecast projects China will need around 9,570 new passenger aircraft between 2025 and 2044, more than 80% of them single-aisle jets — giving Beijing meaningful leverage over the European planemaker and, indirectly, over European regulatory timelines. Airbus’s second assembly line in China was set to begin operations in 2026. Neither CAAC, EASA, nor Airbus commented on the Bloomberg report.