GE working with FAA over engine parts issue - WSJ

NEW YORK, April 18 (Reuters) - General Electric Co (GE.N) is working with U.S. regulatory officials and airlines to answer queries about some improperly certified jet engine parts, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The parts were installed in some upgraded versions of GE engines without the necessary permission from federal authorities or supporting data, the Journal said.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which monitored GE, has known about the problem for over five years but believed that none of the parts in question were being used, according to the report.

A GE spokesman was not immediately available for comment, but in the report, a spokesman was quoted as saying that as many as 50 engines worldwide may have been affected, but did not identify airlines.

While GE and the FAA said in the report that no flights would be grounded as a result of the issue, the news is a stark reminder of the recent week of trouble for American Airlines, which cancelled more than 3,000 flights over a safety problem with its aircraft and left 300,000 travellers stranded.

FAA representatives was not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Aarthi Sivaraman; Editing by Erica Billingham)