A former Air Canada pilot has been charged after flying for years without a proper license, Canadian police have said.
Allegations and Background
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 stated that 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 the matter was voluntarily reported to Transport Canada, the regulator. The pilot is no longer employed by the airline.
Police Investigation
Police reported that anomalies were detected during a documentation check. Transport Canada contacted police earlier this year, leading to charges against Wall.
Air Canada claimed safety was not compromised, citing mandatory recurrent training every six months for all pilots to validate flying competency, including a flight check with a certified Transport Canada check-pilot every 12 months. However, the airline acknowledged that appropriate licensing is an essential layer of the multi-layered approach to safety and takes the matter with utmost seriousness.
The airline declined to comment further due to privacy law and an active criminal investigation. Air Canada also noted that Wall had been fined by Transport Canada for not having the correct license to be an aircraft captain.
Police additionally allege that the accused filed a false report to police about allegedly stolen pilot documentation.
