US watchdog warns airlines over spare part scam
US authorities are expected to issue a warning to the world's airlines after the discovery of a company illegally selling second-hand Airbus parts.
Six people have been arrested in Rome for allegedly trafficking in airline parts from ageing Airbus A300s.
The plane was the type which crashed in Queens, New York in November, killing 265 people.
The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to issue a formal warning about the safety of the parts the firm sold.
Italian company Panaviation allegedly dismantled the six planes to sell their parts to American, Canadian and other airlines using false documentation to claim they were airworthy.
Police who swooped on a hangar near Rome found the partially dismantled planes and in a series of raids found more than 80,000 parts ready to be shipped to America.
The FBI is already investigating whether the American Airlines Airbus A300 which crashed was fitted with faulty spare parts.
More than 1,000 aircraft could be affected by the alleged scam, with up to 167 countries likely to be sent the warning.
Italian police found documents showing Panaviation had supplied American Airlines, leading to the fear that faulty parts may have caused the New York crash.
Panaviation's president Enzo Fregonese is under house in Rome, while his daughter Patrizia, two of his employees and two officials of the Italian airline Meridiana are also accused of jeopardising transport security, fraud and extortion.