Fraudster Supplied Airlines With Counterfeit Aircraft Parts

An engineering executive has confessed to providing counterfeit aircraft parts to major airlines including Ryanair, triggering a global scandal that grounded hundreds of planes. Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, head of UK-based AOG Technics, pleaded guilty yesterday to selling fake engine components in what the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) described as a scheme that endangered public safety worldwide.

Yrala, 37, from Virginia Water in Surrey, was released on conditional bail by Southwark Crown Court and is scheduled for sentencing on February 23. Investigators said that between 2019 and 2023 he supplied fraudulent parts that were ultimately installed in CFM56 engines — the most widely used engines powering Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft.

AOG Technics operated by sourcing older engine parts and forging safety documentation to present them as new or refurbished. The scandal erupted in August 2023, prompting airlines to ground aircraft and inspect engines, leading to thousands of flight delays.

The fraud began to come to light when a technician at a repair facility in Portugal spotted that a supposedly "new" part from AOG appeared visibly worn. Following alerts to regulators in the UK, US and Europe, airlines including Ryanair, TUI, Virgin Australia and nearly every major American carrier were forced to pull jets from service to locate the counterfeit components.

"This major and brazen fraud undermined confidence in the aviation sector and put global public safety at risk," said Emma Luxton, the SFO's director of operations.

The aviation parts supply chain spans thousands of manufacturers, brokers and distributors. Although the industry is tightly regulated, companies are responsible for maintaining meticulous documentation for every component — from complex avionics to small hardware items like washers and screw housings.

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