As more details emerge about the young Asian man who boarded a Vancouver-bound flight disguised as an elderly Caucasian, the airline that let him board says rumours he used a frequent flyer card as identification are "unfounded."

In a statement released Saturday, Air Canada said any suggestion its Hong Kong staff accepted a photoless Aeroplan card as identification are baseless.

"The rumour that Air Canada staff at the boarding gate accepted an Aeroplan card as proof of identification in lieu of passport at the gate is totally unfounded," Air Canada said in a statement. "The facts relating to this passenger's acceptance on board the aircraft are still being investigated."

The airline said an internal investigation is already being conducted into how Singapore Airport Terminal Services, which handles boarding gate passport verification at the Hong Kong airport for Air Canada and other carriers, let the unnamed man slip through security checks.

The Oct. 29 incident of concealed identity has captured worldwide attention since it was made public on Friday, after CNN released details of an internal bulletin obtained from the Canada Border Services Agency.

According to the bulletin, the man's "unbelievable case of concealment" involved boarding the plane wearing a brown leather cap, glasses, a thin brown cardigan and a head and neck mask designed to resemble a wrinkled old man. He appeared to have young-looking hands.

During the flight, he is believed to have gone into the washroom, apparently removed the disguise, and emerged as "an Asian-looking male who appeared to be in his early 20s."

The lawyer working on behalf of the man says his client appears to be from a rural area in China's Fujian province.

"He seems to be a young person from a depressed part of China who is making an asylum claim in Canada," immigration lawyer Lee Rankin told CTV News.

Fujian province was the departure point for four boatloads of illegal migrants who arrived in Canada back in 1999, after paying a gang of human smugglers -- known in that region of China as a 'snakehead' -- to ensure their safe passage.

Rankin suspects his client was also working with a snakehead, and likely donned the silicone mask simply because he was told to.

"This is just a variation on methods people have used to enter the country which is not necessarily to condone it, but it does happen," Rankin said.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews echoed Rankin's comments, as he downplayed the severity of the apparent security lapse.

"In this particular case, as a result of a leak to a news agency it became public knowledge," Toews told reporters at the Halifax International Security Forum Saturday. "But in many ways the issue was not, other than the mask, unusual with people trying to enter the country illegally and I dare say that's the same issue that is faced by other countries as well."

The unnamed passenger, who has filed a refugee claim, is currently in detention in Vancouver where officials are screening his identity with Interpol and the FBI.

He is expected to appear at an immigration hearing on Monday.

With files from CTV News and The Canadian Press