The aviation industry has been rocked by reports that thousands of engine parts with fake safety certificates were installed on passenger planes.
Major airlines including American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines have pulled jets from their fleets as investigations into the potentially catastrophic disruptions continue.
The scandal has centered on a shady aircraft parts supplier called AOG Technics, which allegedly mass-produced fake safety certificates to sell its engine parts to airlines.
According to Bloomberg, AOG Technics was also accused of spoofing employees and using stock photos for fictitious employees on LinkedIn. Attempts to contact the company were unsuccessful.
Since parts of the problematic company have been found in 126 engines of several airlines so far, questions are being raised about the effectiveness of the airline industry’s safety oversight measures.
The allegedly faulty safety certificates were installed in at least 126 Boeing and Airbus engines from several airlines. Pictured: An Airbus A320 NEO engine at a Safran factory in France, 2018
The scandal has rocked the airline industry, with potentially faulty parts ranging from small nuts and bolts to vital turbine blades. Pictured: Manufacturing parts for an Airbus A320 wing
American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines have removed aircraft from their schedules, including the airline industry’s favorite Boeing 737 (pictured)
Airplane parts must undergo rigorous safety testing to ensure they are “airworthy.” Each part comes with a certificate that can be used for traceability of the component’s origin and testing protocols.
But the Federal Aviation Administration and investigators in Europe have alleged that AOG Technics falsified its documentation, a problem with potentially catastrophic consequences in the event of a faulty part.
The most affected engine model was a CFM56, which alarmingly holds the record for the most engines ever sold to airlines, with over 33,900 examples.
It is currently installed in numerous jets around the world, notably the previous Boeing 737 MAX and the first version of the Airbus A320.
Both jets are extremely common on daily flights around the world.
The affected engine parts range from small components such as screws and bolts to components vital to the propulsion of a jet such as turbine blades.
As investigations into the possible scheme continue, it has been discovered that dozens of the motors were inadvertently manufactured by General Electric in a joint venture with Safran, which has since filed a lawsuit against AOG Technics.
The GE engines were reportedly installed during maintenance work and then found their way onto Boeing and Airbus aircraft.
After American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines pulled planes from their schedules, Delta Airlines announced Monday that it was also removing several engines from service.
Affected airlines said they quickly identified AOG Technics-certified engines, which represented only a fraction of their total, and claimed passenger safety was not compromised.
However, according to the lawsuit filed by GE and Safran, the aviation parts supplier used a large-scale counterfeiting scheme to sell its parts to airlines.
The most affected engine model was a CFM56 (pictured), which alarmingly holds the record for the most engines ever sold to airlines, with over 33,900 examples
In the United Kingdom, where the company has its address, a judge this week ordered the company to turn over its parts sales records, and the full extent of the scandal could deepen as the records are analyzed.
Before the analysis began Wednesday, the airlines said they found 16 engines in their workshops and 110 engines at separate facilities equipped with AOG Technics parts.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the company acts as an intermediary in the aviation industry by purchasing parts before selling them to maintenance and repair shops.
It was founded in 2015, but several troubling business practices have been alleged recently, including that there is reportedly no record of the company ever obtaining approvals for its parts.
Court documents have also revealed that the company’s founder, Jose Zamora Yrala, is the sole director and shareholder, and dubious LinkedIn profiles were reportedly linked to the company using aliases and stock profile pictures.
“It is a bit strange that a phantom company can be allowed to supply spare parts with false certification documents,” Safran chief executive Olivier Andriès told reporters last month.
The controversy has highlighted the complexity of the airline industry. Pictured: The wheel arch of the first Boeing 737 MAX 7 aircraft as it stands on the tarmac in front of the Boeing factory on February 5, 2018
Fictitious safety certificates were allegedly stuck on critical components of a jet
In their bombshell lawsuit, GE and Safran, joined in the lawsuit by their joint venture CFM International, say they were first made aware of the crisis in June after it was identified by TAP Air Portugal’s engineering and maintenance teams.
They claim AOG Technics “endangered the safety of aircraft and made it impossible for operators who purchased these parts to verify the airworthiness of their engines.”
“All counterfeit parts must be urgently identified and the appropriate operators notified,” the lawsuit adds, warning that the strain on engines during a flight combined with the hundreds of lives lost on each route means that even a small part may be defective could be catastrophic.
GE emphasized that its priority in filing the lawsuit was safety and reportedly told investors that it did not expect the matter to have a financial impact on the company.
The lawsuit also makes allegations that AOG Technics used stock photos and may have spoofed employees online.
“There are therefore legitimate questions as to whether the profiles were created and whether the profiled employees actually exist,” the lawsuit states.
The WSJ reported that it visited the company’s listed address in London near Buckingham Palace, where receptionists and security staff said they had not heard from the company.
A representative for the building leasing the space told the outlet that AOG Technics is a virtual customer and does not own space at the location.
“If you’re going to put a part in an aircraft engine, you want to be sure it’s legitimate,” said Ron Epstein, an aerospace analyst at Bank of America. “Someone has found a loophole.” The system is supposed to protect against that.”