Airbus set to win China approval for delayed A320 neo-deliveries

Airbus expects to secure Chinese approval for the General Electric Co.-powered version of its A320neo jet by the end of this month, signalling the end of a standoff between European and Asian regulators. Final certification for the narrow-body plane is imminent after the Leap engine made by GE’s CFM International venture with France’s Safran was signed off by the Civil Aviation Administration of China earlier this week, Airbus CEO Tom Enders said. Airlines in the Asian nation should start receiving aircraft toward the end of May, Enders said. Approval had been anticipated last year but was held up by what analysts at Bernstein described as a “mini trade war” as the Chinese agency sought recognition as a certifying authority in Europe. That would allow the Shanghai-built C919 narrow-body, which also uses the Leap and is currently undergoing test flights, to be exported there.<br/>