ATLANTA — An Atlanta-based airline is the latest to come forward, saying it's found unapproved jet engine parts recently discovered by three other U.S. airlines, which it added is part of a larger lawsuit against a London-based company.
Delta is joining American, United and Southwest Airlines, claiming AOG Technics sold them fake parts.
“For sure, the airlines need to be worried about this because, essentially, this is somebody falsifying their manifest of parts," Dean Ramnath Chellappa, an Emory University Associate, said, "and it’s a problem that is essentially reflective of how the supply chain is not maintaining the integrity."
According to the four major airlines and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, AOG Technics has allegedly sold fake parts and is accused of falsifying the required airworthiness documents for the spare parts at the center of the problem.
Delta Airlines released this statement about the issue:
“Delta has been informed by one of our engine service providers that a small number of engines they overhauled for us contain certain parts that do not meet the documentation requirements. Working with the overhaul provider, we are in the process of replacing those parts and remain in compliance with all FAA guidelines - because safety is always our priority.”
Chellappa adds without the proper documentation, there is no way to confirm the part will do what it is supposed to do.
“When a supplying firm, in the supplying chain, certifies that these meet all the standards, etc. Those have to be guaranteed, and you should be able to take that at face value," he said.
But there is good news for fliers: the engines impacted only account for less than 1% of Delta's mainline fleet. In a statement, United Airlines also said only a few of their planes are affected.
“As we investigated this matter, we learned that compressor stator vane seals from this supplier had been installed on a single engine on each of two aircraft, including one that was already undergoing routine maintenance. We are replacing the affected engines on both aircraft before they are returned to service, and we’ll continue to investigate as new information becomes available from our suppliers.
A spokesperson from Southwest provided the following statement Tuesday night:
"We became aware of the issue in early August and took necessary steps to ensure we do not have any parts in our fleet from AOG. Our suppliers conducted a review of Southwest parts and identified one engine that contained two low-pressure turbine blades from this vendor. In an abundance of caution, we made an immediate decision in August to promptly replace those parts on that single engine."