CC BY SA 2.0, via wikimedia commons
Commercial
Aviation
/ Europe
Affects the A320 and 737
UK company sells engine parts with falsified documentation
By: Rafael Ramos
On: 9/25/2023
CFM56 engine - the affected engine model are used on 737 and on A320
CC BY SA 4.0, via wikimedia commons
Jet engine maker CFM International, a joint venture between GE and Safran, said on Wednesday that thousands of engine components may have been sold with falsified documents by a British distributor, as fallout from an investigation into fake parts certificates reach the High Court of London.
According to the lawyer, Matthew Reeve, of CFM, said that AOG Technics had engaged in a "deliberate, dishonest and sophisticated scheme to deceive the market with falsified documents on an industrial scale".
The parts that would be irregular were found in CFM56 engines, which equip the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737. The European regulatory agency is still investigating what happened.
AOG did not address the underlying forgery claim at the hearing, which was called to discuss procedural issues. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its main number, which went on hold and then to voicemail.
So far, only a fraction of the 23,000 existing CFM56 engines have been affected. On Monday, the number of engines suspected of having parts with falsified documents had risen to 96.
Reeve said in court filings that CFM and its engine partners have "compelling documentary evidence that thousands of jet engine parts were sold by (AOG) to airlines operating commercial aircraft equipped with plaintiffs' jet engines."
"Potentially, this means between 48 and 96 aircraft being taken out of service while airlines arrange for parts to be removed," Reeve added.
Industry sources said most replacement parts sold by distributors like AOG involve small items that are not made by the engine manufacturers themselves and are not considered critical.
Still, the number of planes that may have to be taken out of service for checks is approaching 100 and analysts say any disruption to the tightly monitored system of controls that underpins the safety of air travel must be resolved quickly.
Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
|
|