- By Ajeet Kumar
- Wed, 10 Jun 2026 02:34 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Former Air Canada pilot charged for flying without license.
- Piloted over 900 flights for nearly 17 years.
- Air Canada claims safety not compromised despite fraud.
In a shocking incident, a former Air Canada pilot has been charged after flying for nearly 17 years without a proper license. According to a report by news agency AP, Geoffrey Wall, of Barrie, Ontario, is alleged to have operated as an airline captain between 2009 and 2025 without a license to fly large commercial passenger planes.
Accused Pilot fly 900 passengers planes
According to Peel Regional Police, he piloted more than 900 flights domestically and internationally without the required license. Air Canada confirmed that one of its pilots held a valid commercial pilot license, but was promoted to captain without the required airline transport pilot license.
Deputy police chief Nick Milinovich alleged that 59-year-old Wall “has been flying for years, misrepresenting himself and his credentials to his employer and regulatory officials using fraudulent licensing documents.”
(Representational Image | CREDIT: REUTERS)
“This is similar to a doctor who is licensed to practice family medicine but is doing brain surgery in their office,” Milinovich added.
Air Canada reacts
The airline said a pilot was removed from active duty once it was discovered that he did not have the correct license, which was voluntarily reported to Transport Canada, the regulator. The pilot is no longer employed by the airline.
Police said anomalies were detected in a documentation check. Transport Canada contacted police earlier this year.
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Safety was not compromised: Air Canada
Air Canada claimed safety was not compromised and an audit of its pilots found no other instances of non-compliance. “Safety was not compromised by this incident because all pilots at Air Canada undergo mandatory recurrent training every six months to validate their flying competency, including a flight check with a certified Transport Canada check-pilot every 12 months,” the airline said in a statement.
“However, appropriate licensing is an essential layer of the airline industry’s multilayered approach to safety, so Air Canada takes this matter with utmost seriousness.”
Pilot filed false complaint of stolen document
The airline, which did not name the pilot, said he has been fined by Transport Canada for not having the correct license to be an aircraft captain. Police also say the accused filed a false report to police about allegedly stolen pilot documentation.
Wall made about $2.9 million Canadian ($2.1 million) during his time as captain, police said.
Transport Minister Steve MacKinnon said the federal government would review the case and ensure improvements, “if there are any,” would be made. Despite the lengthy alleged fraud, he said the system to detect such issues had worked. “I am gratified that we were able to detect this issue and get it dealt with,” he said.
(With inputs from agency)