By WILL POTTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
The aviation industry has been rocked by reports thousands of jet-engine parts with fraudulent safety certificates have been installed onto passenger planes.
Major airlines including American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines have pulled jets from their fleets as investigations into the potentially catastrophic faults are ongoing.
The scandal has zeroed in on a dubious airplane parts supplier named AOG Technics, which allegedly mass-produced fake safety certificates in order to sell its engine parts to airlines.
AOG Technics has also faced allegations it faked employees and was using stock photographs for fictitious staffers on LinkedIn, according to Bloomberg. Attempts to contact the company were unsuccessful.
With parts from the problematic company so far found in 126 engines across several airlines, questions are being raised over the effectiveness of the aviation industry’s safety oversight measures.
Airline parts are supposed to undergo stringent safety tests to ensure they are ‘airworthy’, with each part coming with a certificate that can be used to trace the component’s origins and inspection records.
But the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as investigators in Europe, have alleged that AOG Technics forged its documentation, an issue with potentially disastrous consequences in the event of a faulty part.
The most affected engine model was found to be a CFM56, which alarmingly holds the record for most engines ever sold to airlines at over 33,900.
It is currently installed in numerous jets across the world, most notably Boeing’s predecessor to the 737 MAX and the initial version of the Airbus A320.
Both jets are extremely common in flights across the world each day.
The affected engine parts vary from small components such as screws and bolts to units vital for the propulsion of a jet, such as turbine blades.
As investigations into the potential scheme continue, it was found that dozens of the engines were inadvertently made by General Electric in a joint venture with Safran, which has since launched a lawsuit against AOG Technics.
The GE engines were reportedly installed during maintenance work, and then found their way into Boeing and Airbus airplanes.
After American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines pulled planes from their rosters, Delta Airlines said on Monday that it also removed a several engines from service.
Affected airlines have said they quickly identified engines certified by AOG Technics, which made up only a fraction of their total number, and claim passenger safety has not been compromised.