Airbus delivered 81 jets in May after China logjam eases

PARIS, June 4 (Reuters) - Airbus delivered 81 aircraft in May, up sharply from a year earlier, partly due to the release of planes caught up in a regulatory stand-off with China, industry sources said.

Airbus declined to comment on deliveries ahead of a monthly update on Friday. In May 2025, it delivered 51 jets.

Airbus said in April that a number of deliveries had been held up in the first quarter due to what it described as a Chinese "administrative topic" that had since been resolved.

Two people familiar with the matter said that China had appeared to hold up the delivery of new Airbus aircraft to put pressure on European regulators over the certification of its C919 passenger jet, which has not yet been granted.

The hold-up affected about 20 planes, according to La Tribune newspaper, which first reported the standoff on May 11.

Responding to a Bloomberg report on the regulatory dispute on May 26, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said work on validating the C919 was "progressing with the full cooperation" of Chinese authorities and manufacturer COMAC.

Bloomberg reported that the snag had lasted several months.

Analysts said it was too early to tell whether May's acceleration would be enough to remove concerns over Airbus' ability to reach its target of 870 deliveries for the year, which also depends on wider supply chain problems.

Many deliveries have been held up by missing engines or cabin equipment as well as slow deliveries from a former Spirit AeroSystems plant in the United States that supplies the A350.

UK-based analyst Rob Morris said Airbus would need to keep up strong momentum in coming months to stay on track, but added that they are "making progress towards clearing stored inventory".

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)