Published on
Police in Canada say a former Air Canada captain accused of flying hundreds of flights without an appropriate license has been arrested and charged.
Geoffrey Wall, 59, is facing several fraud-related charges after investigators alleged he used forged pilot licences over the course of his career.
Wall, who was arrested on 1 June, is said to have started his career in aviation in 1998 and worked as a captain since 2009, taking charge of more than 900 flights and earning millions of dollars.
But police said records showed that while he held a valid commercial pilot licence, he did not possess the required airline transport pilot licence – the highest level of pilot certification, needed to captain large aircraft.
“This is very similar to a doctor that is licenced to practice family medicine but is doing brain surgery in their office,” deputy chief of Peel Regional Police Nick Milinovich said in a press conference.
In a statement, Air Canada said Wall was removed from active duty as soon as the discovery was made and that it had “voluntarily” reported the case to Transport Canada.
“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,” the carrier said.
Wall, who is no longer employed by the airline, “successfully met or exceeded the required recurrent training” and showed a “high level of competency to safely operate large aircraft” throughout his time with the company, Air Canada added in its statement.
The airline said it had also since carried out an audit of its pilots and found “no other instances of non-compliance”.
The police investigation, dubbed Project Icarus, was launched after a regulatory review of Wall’s licensing credentials and conduct by Transport Canada.
Wall has been charged with fraud over $5,000, two counts of uttering forged documents, three counts of possession of counterfeit mark and public mischief.
Nishan Duraiappah, the chief of Peel Regional Police, called the case “deeply concerning,” saying it struck “at the heart of public trust and safety”.
“I want to recognize our investigators for their hard work throughout this complex investigation, as well as Transport Canada and Air Canada for their cooperation,” he added.