Virgin Australia Grounds Some 737s

Australian airline Virgin Australia has been forced to ground two of its Boeing 737-800s following engine troubles.

The airline’s findings relate to aircraft potentially fitted with falsely documented parts to the engine. Therefore, this is a substantial safety concern for the major airline.

Bloomberg reports that Virgin Australia only became aware of the possible issues following falsified certification documents from AOG Technics, a key supplier in Britain surfacing.

The part is currently being removed on VH-YFR, which has become the second aircraft Virgin Australia has been made aware of that has been affected. These replacements are taking place in Brisbane, Australia. Brisbane remains a crucial city for the carrier, which offers services around Australia.

Since its restructuring and filing for administration many years back, Virgin Australia has heavily relied on the Boeing 737 to power its network and acquired its first 737 MAX only a month ago.

However, this problem impacting a handful of its 737s isn’t new, with other customers being affected thus far. CFM International launched legal action against AOG Technics after 68 engines were reportedly uncovered to have falsely certified documents, a very valid concern.

One of the main inconsistencies highlighted through recent reports is concerns over the age of the parts being installed. ACOG’s documentation has not lined up with the CFM claim, saying that the installed parts have been very clearly used.