Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) confirmed that a low-pressure turbine blade from AOG Technics, a London-based firm flagged by European aviation authorities for supplying "unapproved parts", was found on one of its Boeing (NYSE:BA) 737 NG. The part was immediately replaced, according to an email statement to Bloomberg.
The discovery comes weeks after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) announced that "Numerous Authorised Release Certificates for parts supplied via AOG Technics have been forged." The scandal has since spread across the Atlantic, raising concerns about the potential use of counterfeit components in older Airbus SE (OTC:EADSY) A320s and Boeing Co . 737s.
AOG Technics, which began operations in 2015, sold bogus parts for CFM56 engines, the world's best-selling turbine, to repair shops servicing these planes. Some of these older jets are used by budget airlines. The exact number of CFM56 parts with fake certification supplied by AOG to the global parts market remains unknown. However, CFM International and GE have identified 78 falsified documents covering 52 CFM56 engine part numbers and two faked records for CF6 components.
CFM International Inc., a joint venture between General Electric (NYSE:GE) Co. and Safran (EPA:SAF) SA, revealed on Monday that 68 jet engines have been equipped with spare parts supported by fraudulent documentation from AOG Technics. The revelation emerged within a lawsuit filed by the joint venture in the U.K. against AOG, aiming to compel the supplier to provide additional information to assist the aviation industry in identifying suspect components.
“Safety is our first priority, and we are taking aggressive legal action against AOG Technics to accelerate the industry's ability to identify parts sold by this third party with falsified documentation,” a spokesperson for CFM stated. Representatives from AOG were unavailable for immediate comment.
The emergence of unverified parts has raised significant concerns within the aviation industry, where rigorous verification processes are essential to ensure aircraft safety. Regulators, airlines, and other industry stakeholders are now meticulously reviewing their records to identify and locate the suspect components distributed by AOG.
Despite the ongoing investigation, no engine issue incidents have been traced back to AOG's parts, according to CFM and GE. The aviation industry continues its collaborative efforts to maintain safety, reliability, and transparency in the face of this crisis.
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