Abstract: With the in-depth advancement of the "dual carbon" goals, the high energy consumption and high emission characteristics of the air transport industry have made it a key sector in China's low-carbon transition. Based on the panel data of 15 Chinese aviation enterprises from 2013 to 2022, this study employed the super-efficiency EBM model considering undesirable outputs and the GML productivity index model to investigate their static carbon emission efficiency and its dynamic changes. The Tobit regression model was adopted to explore the influencing factors of carbon emission efficiency of aviation enterprises. The results showed that: 1) The average static carbon emission efficiency of Chinese aviation enterprises was 0.7061, which was overall at a medium-to-upper level, showing the phased characteristics of "steady improvement - rapid growth - significant fluctuation under external shocks". State-owned aviation enterprises were generally leading in carbon emission efficiency and had recovered the fastest after the COVID-19 pandemic, while private aviation enterprises had experienced the most significant decline in carbon emission efficiency during the pandemic and a slower recovery. 2) In terms of dynamic efficiency, the average GML index was 1.0152, indicating that the carbon emission efficiency of aviation enterprises had increased by about 1.52% annually. The improvement of carbon emission efficiency of state-owned enterprises was mainly constrained by changes in technical efficiency, and private aviation enterprises had achieved the largest growth in the GML index, mainly driven by the dual effects of technological progress and changes in technical efficiency. The improvement of carbon emissions of local aviation enterprises was mainly limited by the impact of technological progress. 3) Factors such as transportation organization efficiency and average flight duration significantly improved carbon emission efficiency, while unit transportation energy consumption was the main constraint. Finally, specific policy recommendations and technical pathways were proposed. State-owned enterprises should optimize the efficiency of existing resource utilization, rationally structure and deploy their fleets, and strengthen the refined management of airline operations. Local enterprises should increase the application of energy-saving and consumption-reducing technologies, such as promoting aircraft weight reduction and upgrading fuel-saving retrofitting technologies. Private enterprises should balance efficiency improvements with technological advancement. The government should progressively refine its policy framework, increase support for energy-saving retrofits and technological upgrades within aviation enterprises, improve the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply chain, and drive the industry's transition towards green and low-carbon operations.