Europe's Airbus to unfreeze China contracts

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus said it is confident that it will deliver planes it has sold to China, following the thawing of an emissions dispute that led to deals being blocked for most of the year, Reuters reported. The EU said Monday it will adopt a one-year moratorium on plans to force non-EU carriers to comply with its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which has provoked fierce opposition from China and the US. The two countries contend that the scheme would contravene their sovereign rights. China reacted to initial EU plans by blocking US$12 billion of passenger jet contracts signed by Airbus, causing the manufacturer to halt a production increase that would have employed 1,000 people. Contracts that have been delayed include Chinese purchases of 35 long-haul A330 jetliners. “I believe we will deliver those airplanes,” Laurence Barron, president of Airbus China, said Tuesday.