
The European agency says non-airworthy components from CFM56, V2500 (used on the Embraer KC-390), PW1100 and RB211 engines were diverted before destruction and may reappear on the market.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an alert after a shipment of turbofan engine parts formally declared non-airworthy in Spain was diverted. According to the agency, the batch was redirected at the end of January 2026 by a third party posing as the company contracted to carry out the mutilation of the components, a process used to permanently render out-of-service parts unusable.
According to EASA, the shipment consisted of 12 containers of engine parts, three of which contained critical or life-limited components. The agency noted that these parts had not yet been mutilated, increasing concern that they could reappear on the open spare parts market.
The alert involves parts associated with four widely used aircraft engine families: CFM56, IAE V2500, Pratt & Whitney PW1100 and Rolls-Royce RB211.
Industry coverage of the case indicates the diversion involves more than 600 parts, with one report citing 625 components listed in the notice.

In its official notification, EASA recommends that owners, operators, and maintenance organizations inspect aircraft, inventories, and records using the part numbers and serial numbers published in the list attached to the case. If any of these items are identified, the guidance is to remove them, quarantine them, and notify the competent authority to prevent any installation on aircraft.
The case reignites concerns in the sector about the traceability of aircraft components and the risk of unapproved parts re-entering the supply chain.
Aviation Week noted that the episode comes shortly after the AOG Technics scandal, which exposed weaknesses in documentation control and the origin of engine parts in the aftermarket.
+ Kim Jong Un oversees test of carbon fiber missile engine
Source and images: EASA. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
