Southwest Airlines confirmed it has removed an aircraft part deemed to have been a possible fake.
It comes amid a scandal at London-based firm AOG Technics which has been accused of supplying ‘unapproved parts’ by European authorities.
Southwest removed a turbine blade from a Boeing 737 NG aircraft.
The part was immediately replaced, the airline said.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency recently said ‘numerous authorised release certificates for parts supplied via AOG Technics have been forged.’
AOG Technics has been accused of selling fake parts for CFM56 engines to operators servicing these planes.
The engines are widely used globally.
It is unknown exactly how many bogus parts have been installed in aircraft.
Engine maker GE said it has so far identified 68 in aircraft.
The issue came to light after a lawsuit was filed against AOG.
“Safety is our first priority, and we are taking aggressive legal action to identify parts sold by this third party with falsified documentation,” CFM said.
So far, there have been no in-flight engine issues with AOG’s parts.
