Safran calls for criminal probe over alleged fake jet engine parts

PARIS (Reuters) - The head of French engine maker Safran (EPA:SAF) called on Friday for a criminal investigation into allegations that a London-based firm distributed falsely documented aircraft engine parts.

Safran and its U.S. engine partner GE Aerospace have alleged that AOG Technics sold thousands of parts for the world's most-sold jet engine, built by their joint venture CFM International, with false certification documents.

AOG Technics, a parts distributor, has not responded publicly to the allegations, but last month told a British court it was co-operating fully with investigations by the companies and regulators.

Britain's Civil Aviation Authority in August said it was "investigating the supply of a large number of suspect unapproved parts" through AOG Technics. EU and U.S. regulators have also issued warnings of suspect parts from AOG Technics.

"I believe and hope that there will be a criminal investigation," Safran CEO Olivier Andries told reporters after the company reported quarterly results.

AOG Technics could not immediately be reached for comment. Telephone calls to its London offices on Friday went to voicemail. Its UK lawyer was not immediately available.

CFM, responsible for designing and building the CFM56 engines which are used on some Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Airbus jets, took AOG Technics to court in the UK in September to obtain documents related to its dealings.

Andries said CFM had tightened its own procedures after court papers last month revealed that the engine company had itself bought some of the suspect parts directly or indirectly.

"This is one of the lessons that have been drawn," he said.

Bogus parts have plagued the aircraft industry for years, but the presence of uncertified parts inside the high-tech jet engines raised concerns and triggered a race to track them down.

It also exposed a gap in regulation, with distributors not covered by controls imposed on other parts of the industry.

CFM said this week after an analysis of the documentation provided by AOG Technics that it had identified 180 falsified documents, covering 124 part numbers.

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Half of the 145 engines involved have been repaired and the other half will be treated shortly, Andries said.

But with less than 1% of the CFM56 fleet affected, Andries told analysts that this would have an "absolutely minimal" impact on its aftermarket operations.