How China Is Using Airbus Jet Delivery Delays as Leverage for Its Own Aircraft Ambitions

The COMAC Certification Timeline

The target of the pressure campaign is unambiguous. EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet stated in April 2025 that the C919 will require three to six more years to receive European certification, pushing the earliest approval window to 2028 and possibly as late as 2031 . COMAC had originally hoped for a green light by 2025 . EASA dispatched test pilots to Shanghai in November 2025 for verification flights , but its leadership has consistently stated the agency will take whatever time is needed for a proper safety assessment .

A Familiar Playbook

Using commercial aviation orders as a diplomatic lever is not new for Beijing. In 2012–2013, China blocked an estimated $12 billion in Airbus orders to protest the European Union's emissions trading scheme . A similar freeze on 45 A330 orders was later partially lifted after diplomatic outreach from Airbus and a French presidential visit . The current pressure campaign follows the same strategic logic, updated for an era of COMAC ambition.

Trade Tensions on Multiple Fronts

The Airbus delay tactic does not operate in isolation. In April 2025, China instructed domestic airlines to stop taking deliveries of Boeing aircraft and to halt purchases of US aviation parts and equipment, escalating the direct trade dispute with Washington . Meanwhile, Brussels has imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, adding fresh EU-China friction to a relationship already strained by US protectionism . Airbus has been caught squarely in the crossfire—hit by supply-chain disruptions, a temporary US freeze on engine exports to China, and an engine shortage that forced it to store undelivered jets .

China has also shifted some aircraft orders toward Airbus as a counterweight to US tensions while simultaneously holding those very deliveries hostage to pressure Europe on COMAC certification . The result is a strategic tightrope: Beijing courts Airbus on one track while squeezing it on another.

Airbus's deep commercial dependence on the Chinese aviation market gives the tactic real weight. Chinese airlines operate hundreds of Airbus jets and have hundreds more on firm order. By turning the final delivery authorization into a political dial, Beijing can directly hurt Airbus's quarterly cash flow and annual delivery targets—creating an incentive for European governments and regulators to pay closer attention to the speed of COMAC's certification journey.