Virgin Australia has become the second airline to recently suspend its fleet of aircraft due to the discovery of engine parts with falsified release certificates. The affected aircraft are two Boeing 737-800s, following in the footsteps of the American airline Southwest, which previously reported the same issue, according to our associate medium, Aeroin.
These faulty parts are part of a batch supplied by the British firm AOG Technics, intended for CFM56 type engines, one of the most popular jet engine models in the world. Currently, the British company is at the epicenter of a scandal for falsifying documents and providing refurbished or even fake components, potentially jeopardizing the commercial operations of the aircraft.
According to reports from Australian media outlets, AOG would have distributed these components to maintenance companies and airlines to be incorporated into aircraft already in circulation. This scandal has motivated manufacturers and regulatory agencies to trace an exhaustive trail of the distribution of these fraudulent parts.
CFM, the company responsible for the CFM56 engines, has identified 68 affected engines to date. In addition, they indicated that they are pursuing legal action against AOG, with the goal of gathering more details about this serious matter.
In light of these events, Virgin Australia has urged its passengers to be alert to possible changes in their flights, as other aircraft could be affected. So far, AOG has not issued any statement to defend themselves against the accusations leveled at them.
