By Tim Hepher
PARIS (Reuters) – Jet engine maker CFM International said on Wednesday the number of engines suspected of containing falsely documented parts from a UK distributor had risen to 126, including 16 inside its own workshops after it inadvertently bought them indirectly.
CFM, owned by GE Aerospace and France’s Safran, issued the update after examining documents turned over by AOG Technics Ltd on the order of a British judge and said there had so far been no reports of any operational impact.
“CFM is reviewing the documentation turned over by AOG Technics as part of our effort to determine the full extent of their sale of parts with fraudulent documentation,” CFM said.
“We are working collaboratively with operators so they can promptly remove the unauthorized parts from their engines in accordance with the recommendations issued by the regulatory agencies.”
AOG Technics could not be reached for comment.
In a court hearing last month, lawyers representing AOG and director Jose Zamora Yrala said they were “cooperating fully” with the investigation without commenting on CFM’s claims.
CFM has said thousands of components appear to have been sold with false paperwork by AOG, putting the integrity of the highly regulated aviation system at risk but without so far triggering any safety incidents.
The number of affected engines has risen from 96 at the time of last month’s hearing, but still represents less than 1% of the 22,600 CFM56 engines in use globally.
CFM56 engines are repaired through third-party networks or at maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities operated by CFM itself. The company said it had found four cases where parts from AOG entered its own facilities, impacting 16 engines.
“One instance was through CFM Materials. The other three involved indirect purchases from suppliers who sourced material with falsified forms from AOG and unknowingly sold it to CFM,” it said in a statement.
CFM said its more recent LEAP engine, used on the Boeing 737 MAX and some Airbus A320neo jets, was not affected.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Chris Reese and Bill Berkrot)
