Canadian authorities have charged a former Air Canada pilot accused of flying commercial passenger aircraft for years without the required licence to serve as a captain.
Police identified the suspect as Geoffrey Wall, a 59-year-old resident of Barrie, Ontario, who allegedly operated as an airline captain between 2009 and 2025 using fraudulent licensing documents.
According to Peel Regional Police, Wall piloted more than 900 domestic and international flights during the period despite allegedly lacking the airline transport pilot licence required to command large commercial passenger aircraft.
Deputy Police Chief Nick Milinovich accused Wall of misrepresenting his qualifications to both his employer and aviation regulators.
“He has been flying for years misrepresenting himself and his credentials to his employer and regulatory officials using fraudulent licensing documents,” Milinovich said.
Air Canada confirmed that the pilot held a valid commercial pilot licence but had been promoted to captain without obtaining the required airline transport pilot licence.
The airline said the issue was discovered during a documentation review and was voluntarily reported to Transport Canada. The pilot was subsequently removed from active duty and is no longer employed by the airline.
Authorities also allege that Wall filed a false police report claiming that pilot documentation had been stolen.
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, Air Canada maintained that passenger safety was not compromised, noting that all pilots undergo mandatory recurrent training every six months and annual flight evaluations conducted by certified Transport Canada check pilots.
“Appropriate licensing is an essential layer of the airline industry’s multilayered approach to safety, so Air Canada takes this matter with utmost seriousness,” the airline said.
Police said Wall earned approximately 2.9 million Canadian dollars during his time as a captain.
Meanwhile, Canadian Transport Minister Steve MacKinnon said the federal government would review the case and determine whether additional safeguards are needed to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Investigations into the matter remain ongoing.