The American civil aviation regulator is investigating the reliability of titanium used by Boeing and Airbus in the manufacture of recent aircraft whose certificates have been falsified. According to officials, there is no risk to the planes in service.
According to the New York Times, it is metal supplied by a Chinese supplier, accompanied by documents containing false information, entered by an employee.
‘Boeing spontaneously reported to the American regulator, the FAA, that these materials had been obtained from a supplier who may have communicated falsified or incorrect documents,’ an FAA spokesperson told AFP. ‘The FAA is investigating the extent and impact of this problem.’
Several industry officials explained to AFP, on condition of anonymity, that this development did not pose an immediate risk to the aircraft currently in service.
Airplanes built between 2019 and 2023
According to the New York Times, the titanium in question was integrated into Boeing 737 and 787 Dreamliners as well as Airbus A220s, built between 2019 and 2023, without it being yet possible to determine the number.
Spirit AeroSystems, a subcontractor for Boeing and Airbus which is conducting its own investigation, favors the hypothesis of a single batch of titanium concerned, said a spokesperson. ‘The documentation is falsified,’ he commented, but ‘the titanium is of good quality. For us, there is no security problem. But we cannot find the origin of the metal.
The spokesperson clarified that Spirit took delivery of the titanium in the form of parts and not as raw metal.
Boeing said it would remove titanium from aircraft not yet delivered, but that those currently in service could ‘continue to fly safely’. ‘Tests carried out to this stage have shown that the correct titanium alloy had been used,’ added the aircraft manufacturer.
Airbus assured the New York Times that ‘the A220’s ability to fly was intact’.
Boeing has been experiencing setbacks for several months, partly linked to problems on its assembly lines. On Thursday, he reported insufficiently tightened fasteners on several 787 Dreamliners awaiting delivery. The group’s boss, Dave Calhoun, is due to be heard next week before a US Senate committee.
/ATS
