Ex-AOG exec pleads guilty in fake plane parts scam

A former director of UK company AOG Technics has pleaded guilty to supplying counterfeit aeroplane parts around the world at Southwark Crown Court in London.

Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala (37) from Virginia Water in Surrey admitted defrauding customers by supplying falsified components for Airbus and Boeing aircraft between January 2019 and December 2023, leading to hundreds of flights being grounded around the world.

Airlines including United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Ryanair, and Virgin Australia were affected by the scam – which involved the CFM56, CF56 and CF6 engines that power Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft – along with maintenance providers and parts suppliers.

Former DJ Zamora Yrala was granted conditional bail at Southwark Crown Court and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 23 next year. He was charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in May of defrauding customers by falsifying documentation that related to the origin, status or condition of aircraft parts.

After civil aviation authorities in the UK, EU and US issued safety alerts to airlines that may have bought or installed AOG’s parts, the SFO and its counterpart in Portugal launched an investigation into Zamora Yrala's role in the counterfeit trade. The Portuguese probe remains active.

"This significant and audacious fraud threatened trust in the aviation industry and risked public safety on a global scale," said Emma Luxton, director of operations at the SFO.

"I’m extremely proud that we’ve acted swiftly to secure this conviction and wish to thank law enforcement partners in Portugal for their speedy and critical assistance."

According to a 2023 article in the British Journal of Criminology, as much as 10 per cent of the legal market for aircraft parts are counterfeits and the presence of these parts on commercial aircraft is "more commonplace than many people realise." Fake parts raise the risk of component failure, with potentially catastrophic consequences.