China has reportedly delayed final approvals for Airbus aircraft deliveries in recent months as Beijing presses Europe over certification of COMAC’s C919 narrowbody jet.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) held up approvals needed for Airbus aircraft to enter the country and begin service, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The reported delays affected nearly 20 aircraft bound for Chinese customers and contributed to Airbus delivering its fewest commercial aircraft in a first quarter since 2009.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury referred to the China delivery issue as an “administrative delay” during the company’s April 28, 2026, earnings call.
Faury said the issue had been resolved and that the affected aircraft would be delivered in the second quarter, in addition to Airbus’s regular deliveries planned for the period.
Airbus CFO Thomas Toepfer said on the same call that the company had built up about €5 billion in inventory during the quarter, with the China delivery delay as the main driver.
Toepfer said the aircraft had been built and were ready to head to China, but could not be delivered because of the administrative issue.
The reported move comes as China seeks European certification for the COMAC C919, a single-aisle aircraft developed to compete with the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) confirmed in January 2026 that it had conducted test flights of the C919 in Shanghai as part of its validation work. EASA said at the time that the process was continuing in cooperation with COMAC and the CAAC, but did not give a timeline for certification.
EASA certification would mark a major step in COMAC’s effort to move beyond China’s domestic market and sell the C919 to Western carriers. Without European or US certification, the aircraft remains largely limited to Chinese and some non-Western markets.
The C919 entered commercial service in China in 2023 with China Eastern Airlines. The aircraft is central to Beijing’s broader effort to reduce reliance on Airbus and Boeing and build a domestic commercial aircraft industry.
Airbus reported 114 commercial aircraft deliveries in the first quarter of 2026. The European manufacturer delivered 67 aircraft in April, bringing its total deliveries for the year to 181, down from 192 at the same point in 2025.