Former Air Canada pilot charged after allegedly flying without proper license for 16 years

An Air Canada Airbus A220 airplane departs from Los Angeles international airport en route to Toronto. Photograph: Kevin Carter/ View image in fullscreen An Air Canada Airbus A220 airplane departs from Los Angeles international airport en route to Toronto. Photograph: Kevin Carter/ Former Air Canada pilot charged after allegedly flying without proper license for 16 years Geoffrey Wall is alleged to have flown over 900 flights domestically and internationally between 2009 and 2025 A former Air Canada pilot has been charged after flying for years without a proper license, Canadian police have said. 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, according to Peel regional police. He is said to have flown more than 900 flights domestically and internationally without the required license. Air Canada said Wall, 59, held a valid commercial pilot license, but was promoted to captain without the required airline transport pilot license. The airline said he was removed from active duty once it was discovered that he did not have the correct license and that it was voluntarily reported to Transport Canada, the regulator. The pilot is no longer employed . Toronto man posed as pilot to rack up hundreds of free flights, prosecutors say Police said anomalies were detected in a documentation check. Transport Canada contacted police earlier this year. Air Canada claimed safety was not compromised and an audit of its pilots found no other instances of non-compliance. “Safety was not compromised , 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 multi-layered approach to safety, so Air Canada takes this matter with utmost seriousness.” The airline declined to comment further due to privacy law and an active criminal investigation. The airline, which did not name the pilot, said he has been fined . Police also say the accused filed a false report to police about allegedly stolen pilot documentation. Explore more on these topicsCanada Air transport Americas news Share Reuse this content Most viewed Most viewed