Counterfeit parts found in the engines of two Ryanair planes

Ryanair has become the latest airline to be hit by an international scandal after it found fake parts in the engines of two planes.

The parts were discovered during maintenance inspections in Texas and Brazil over the past few months.

Major US carriers Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have also found questionable parts on their planes.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said the fake components came from British supplier AOG Technics, which is not one of Ryanair’s approved suppliers.

Regulators have been alerted to counterfeit parts found in Boeing and Airbus planes this year, investigators said, which traced the supply to AOG Technics. Aviation watchdogs in the UK, US and Europe have accused the company of supplying engine parts with fake certification documents, raising safety concerns.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has called for tighter controls on third-party jet engine suppliers. US engine maker CFM International took legal action against AOG Technics after its CFM56 model – the world’s most widely used jet engine – was affected by the scandal.

The Civil Aviation Authority, Britain’s watchdog, issued a safety notice to airlines and said it was “investigating the supply of a large number of suspected unapproved parts” which it said could be traced back to AOG Technics.

The EU’s aviation safety agency said in August it was investigating reports of parts with suspected falsified documents, while the US Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines about the scandal. The US Department of Justice is said to be in the early stages of an investigation.

AOG Technics has not commented on the case.