Aviation Coalition Proposes Measures To Prevent Unapproved Parts

On Wednesday, a coalition of airlines, maintenance providers and manufacturers released a report aimed at preventing unapproved parts from entering the aviation supply chain in the future.

The Aviation Supply Chain Integrity Coalition, co-chaired by former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt and former U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary John D. Porcari, includes industry stakeholders such as Boeing, Airbus, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines, as well as GE Aerospace, Safran and Standard Aero.

The coalition was formed in response to 2023 revelations from jet engine manufacturer CFM International, jointly owned by GE Aerospace and France's Safran, which found that thousands of engine components may have been sold with forged documentation by the British distributor AOG Technics.

Over a nine-month period, coalition members met with the goal of strengthening the overall integrity and safety of the supply chain. The group concluded with 13 recommendations focused on three key areas: strengthening vendor accreditation, digitizing documentation and improving the traceability of parts.

According to Reuters, while fewer than 1% of CFM engines in service were affected by this issue, the incident underscored the need for further action. It primarily impacted a small number of CFM56 models, the most widely sold passenger jet engines in the world.

“We were able to stop a rogue actor and quarantine the parts last year thanks to swift action from the aviation industry, but more is needed to stop anyone who tries to take a shortcut in the future,” said Sumwalt.