Nine of Europe’s leading aviation groups have joined forces to warn that the European Union’s plans to tax carbon pollution are jeopardising 2,000 jobs and billions of dollars of orders from China.

Airbus and six big European airlines said the plan to bring global carriers into the EU emissions trading scheme for carbon dioxide, which the industry has steadfastly opposed, is creating an “intolerable” threat to the European aviation industry by opening up the possibility of trade battles with China, the US and Russia.

“[The ETS issue] started out as a discussion over environmental legislation but is turning into a trade conflict,” Airbus said. According to the company and its airline partners in Europe, three state-owned Chinese carriers are refusing to finalise orders for 45 Airbus A330 long-haul jets worth $12bn.