In recent years, titanium has found its way into the supply chains of major aircraft manufacturers with falsified documents of origin. Boeing and Airbus stressed on Friday that all planes could continue to operate safely. The US aviation regulator, the FAA, said it was investigating the scope and possible impacts.
The problem became known on Friday through a report in the New York Times. Between 2019 and 2023, planes were built with some titanium components and falsified documents, the newspaper writes, citing informed people who wished to remain anonymous. At Boeing, these include the 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner models, and at Airbus, the A220, he said. It was unclear how many planes there were or which airlines used them, the New York Times reported.
Airbus and Boeing give the go-ahead: “Airworthiness passed”
Supplier Spirit Aerosystems, which produces the fuselage of some models for Boeing and wings for Airbus, announced that all affected components in production had been removed from circulation. “More than 1,000 tests were carried out to confirm the mechanical and metallurgical properties of the material in question,” a spokesperson stressed.
Airbus also referred to numerous checks that demonstrated “that the A220 remains airworthy.” Boeing said earlier tests showed the correct titanium alloy was used. “Our analysis shows that the active fleet can continue to fly safely.” For aircraft that have not yet been delivered, the affected components would be removed at the same time to meet requirements. At the same time, Boeing notes that only a few parts are affected by the problem and that the company purchases most of the titanium directly.
The problem started in 2019.
According to the New York Times, the problem began when a Turkish supplier bought a batch of titanium from a little-known Chinese company in 2019. From there, the metal of the components reached, among others, Spirit and, therefore, also Boeing and Airbus, as people familiar with the process explained to the newspaper.
In December 2023, an Italian company noticed that the material looked different than usual and that the certificates of origin appeared fake. It is still unclear where the titanium comes from, the newspaper writes. However, in the aeronautical industry safety procedures are based on the fact that each step and the origin of materials must be traceable for each component.