Ryanair finds fake engine parts in two planes as bogus parts scandal continues

02 December 2023 , 16:11

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A stock image of a Ryanair plane (Image: PA)

Two Ryanair planes have been identified as having fake engine parts, with the company becoming the latest in a series of international airlines to be hit by the scandal, it has been reported.

Over the past few months, the parts have been identified during maintenance checks in Brazil and Texas. Additionally, the prominent US carriers Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines were also found to have faulty parts in their planes.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said the fake components are from British supplier AOG Technics, which is not one of Ryanair's approved suppliers, MailOnline reports. This year regulators were alerted to the faulty parts identified in Boeing and Airbus planes, and reportedly the supplies have been traced back to AOG Technics.

Airline parts are supposed to undergo strict safety tests to ensure they are deemed 'airworthy', with each part meant to come with a certificate that can be used to trace the part's origins and inspection records.

But safety concerns have been raised, with aviation watchdogs in the UK, Europe and the US accusing the company of offering engine parts with faked certification documents.

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Mr O'Leary asked for stricter control of third-party jet engine suppliers, and legal action against AOG Technics has been initiated after its CFM56 model, which holds the record for most engines ever sold to airlines at almost 34,000, was supposedly impacted by the scandal. The Civil Aviation Authority is Britain's watchdog and it has issued a safety notice to airlines, saying it was "investigating the supply of a large number of suspect unapproved parts" that could, it said, be traced to AOG Technics.

In August, the EU Aviation Safety Agency said it was looking at reports of parts with supposed falsified documents, whereas the US Federal Aviation Administration has cautioned airlines about the scandal. A probe is being undertaken by the US Justice Department, but it remains in the early stages.

In October, big airlines including American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines had jets pulled from their fleets due to investigations into similarly potentially catastrophic faults.

The Mirror contacted Ryanair for a comment. At the time of publishing AOG Technics website had been taken down.

Charlie Duffield