Aircraft manufacturer Airbus has issued a public apology after it allegedly barred Chinese and Russian citizens from boarding its A400M military transport plane during a public event held as part of the 2024 Singapore Airshow on Saturday.
Multiple Chinese guests at the trade exhibition posted on social media complaining they had been barred by German military personnel from boarding the Airbus plane, which was owned by the German Air Force, during the Public Day of the airshow.
In a video posted by one Chinese attendee, the woman at the entrance to the A400M informed him they needed to check his nationality “because it is a German aircraft.” She reportedly stated that “Chinese and Russian nationals are not allowed to board the plane.” The same guest claimed to have filmed German personnel “chasing him” away after learning he was Chinese, the Global Times said.
A second blogger said that the Germans had physically attacked him, leading him to file an official complaint with the organizers of the Singapore Air Show, claiming “discrimination against Chinese people.” Chinese visitors were reportedly allowed to board other countries’ military planes.
While Airbus did not explicitly address whether Russian citizens were also excluded as some social media reports alleged, the company acknowledged in a statement that some visitors had “raised questions about access” to its plane and claimed it had “immediately communicated and coordinated with the customer and our Airbus teams at the show to ensure that the aircraft was open to all visitors” for the rest of the event.
