AOG Technics scandal: Director pleads guilty of supplying fake aircraft engine parts
December 1, 2025
The director of a UK-based aircraft parts company has pleaded guilty to fraudulent trading after an extensive investigation uncovered falsified documentation used in the engines of dozens of commercial aircraft worldwide.
The prosecution of AOG Technics founder Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala follows a two-year inquiry by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO). The investigation began after regulators and engine makers identified unapproved parts fitted to more than 180 CFM56 engines, which power Airbus A320ceo and Boeing 737 NG aircraft.
Legal investigations lead to AOG Technics
The case began in 2023 when CFM International, backed by co-owners GE Aerospace and Safran, uncovered uncertified components fitted to engines of aircraft flown by some of the world’s largest airlines.
Further checks traced the components back to AOG Technics, a UK company run by Zamora Yrala.
Aviation safety regulators worldwide, including the Federal Aviation Authority in the US, the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, and Europe’s EASA, subsequently issued urgent safety warnings to airlines that may have purchased or installed parts from AOG Technics. The warnings recommended that all operators of CFM56 engines remain vigilant.
The company initially refused to hand over documentation relating to the relevant engine parts, but eventually complied following a court order issued in September 2023 ordering it to do so.
Some aircraft were grounded as a result of the discoveries, while affected operating airlines were forced to delay or cancel services as a result of further investigations.
Some aircraft were grounded, with airlines forced to remove engines and cancel flights. Affected carriers included American Airlines, United, Delta, Southwest, Ryanair and Virgin Australia.
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Legal action against AOG Technics launched
In late 2023, CFM International launched civil proceedings against AOG Technics, stating there was “compelling documentary evidence that thousands of jet engine parts have been sold by AOG Technics to airlines operating commercial aircraft”.
In parallel, the SFO opened a criminal investigation. Working with Portuguese authorities, investigators examined suspected fraudulent safety certificates and supply chains linked to AOG.
The SFO subsequently spent two years searching for additional fraudulent parts with suspected false documentation. The Portuguese part of the investigation remains ongoing at the time of writing.
The founder of AOG Technics was arrested and charged
After concluding its investigation in May, the SFO arrested and charged Zamora Yrala with fraudulent trading.
According to the charge sheet filed at the hearing at Southwark Crown Court in London, he was charged with “falsifying documentation relating to the origin, provenance, status and/or condition of aircraft parts between January 2019 and December 2023.”
The SFO said that AOG Technics had defrauded customers, including airlines, maintenance providers and parts suppliers, relating to the CFM56 engine parts, and that Zamora Yrala had obtained a significant financial advantage by doing so.
In response to the charges, Zamora Yrala admitted at first instance to operating his company, AOG Technics, for fraudulent purposes as set out by the charges and pleaded guilty as a result.
A prison sentence awaits Zamorta Yrala
Zamora Yrala is expected to be sentenced at a sentencing hearing at the same court on 23 February 2026, where he faces the maximum sentence for fraudulent trading of 10 years in prison.
He is, however, likely to receive a discount on any custodial sentence he receives on account of an early guilty plea.
“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,” she added.
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