Boeing and Airbus may have used 'counterfeit' titanium in planes, FAA says

“Boeing and Airbus, the two biggest commercial airline makers, may have used titanium sold using fake documents, according to evidence from a supplier that has triggered a Federal Aviation Administration investigation.

The FAA said in a statement to NBC News on Friday morning it would look into allegations from Spirit Aerosystems that the two aviation giants used titanium in their planes that came with paperwork verifying its authenticity that could have been falsified. 

The news adds to a troubled period for Boeing, which is the subject of ongoing federal investigations for alleged safety problems. But the news also brings its fierce rival, France-headquartered Airbus, into the wider scrutiny the aviation industry is facing.

An Airbus assembly site in Colomiers, France, in 2022. Valentine Chapuis / AFP via Getty Images file

Spirit Aerosystems, based in Wichita, Kansas, which raised the alarm on the titanium issue, said it acted fast to remove all the suspect titanium from the supply chain.

“This is about titanium that has entered the supply system via documents that have been counterfeited. When this was identified, all suspect parts were quarantined and removed from Spirit production,” the company said in a statement.

Spirit added that “more than 1,000 tests have been completed to confirm the mechanical and metallurgical properties of the affected material to ensure continued airworthiness.”