Man charged over alleged fake plane parts scam which grounded hundreds of flights
The director of a company is facing fraud charges after allegedly supplying counterfeit plane parts to airlines globally.
Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala, who ran UK-based AOG Technics, is accused of defrauding customers, according to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). AOG Technics' clients included airlines, maintenance firms, and parts suppliers.
In 2023, planes were grounded in the UK and worldwide after safety alerts were issued by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority, the United States' Federal Aviation Administration, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency to airlines that may have purchased or installed parts from AOG Technics.
From 2019 to 2023, the company allegedly falsified documentation that related to the origin, status or condition of aircraft parts.
Zamora Yrala will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 2 charged with fraudulent trading.
Nick Ephgrave, director of the SFO, said: 'Planes were grounded, and significant disruption was caused, today's charges are the outcome of a focused and fast-paced investigation.
'I'm proud that we've acted swiftly, together with our European partners, to bring this important case to charge in just 19 months.'
A UK Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson, said: 'We welcome the progress made by the Serious Fraud Office in its investigation into AOG Technics.
'In August 2023, we acted swiftly to alert UK aviation organisations to the potential supply of unapproved parts and worked closely with international regulators to safeguard aviation safety. We continue to support the SFO and remain committed to upholding the highest safety standards.'
The Independent exclusively revealed in 2023 that parts sold by AOG were found on a Tui aircraft. The part was later removed and the firm struck from Tui's approved supplier list.
Other affected airlines included Ryanair, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, TAP and Virgin Australia Airlines.
AOG was founded in 2015 and due to the worldwide scandal, first reported by Bloomberg, hundreds of planes were grounded.
The case of the London-based company that allegedly supplied jet-engine parts using forged paperwork forced regulators and airlines to assess the scale of the issue. It is thought to have involved thousands of airline parts.
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