> I imagine it will be more geopolitics than anything else, but the EASA says 2026 is “too soon”.

Certifying a new jet from scratch is usually a multi-year endeavour, so why would it be geopolitics?

The C-Series, latest jet to be certified, took a good 2.5 years from first flight to type certification.

And the C919 hasn't started EASA certification yet.