‘Like a movie script’: Former Air Canada pilot arrested after allegedly flying with fake licence: police

A former pilot who worked for Air Canada for nearly three decades is facing several charges after police allege he used a fake licence to misrepresent his qualifications, flying tens of thousands of passengers on planes he was not legally allowed to captain.

During a news conference on Tuesday morning, Peel Police Deputy Chief Nick Milonovich said details of the investigation “read like a movie script.”

The 59-year-old pilot, identified as Barrie resident Geoffrey Wall, worked with the airline for 27 years and retired early in 2025, the same year Transport Canada launched a regulatory investigation into his credentials.

“As captain, the accused was considered the pilot in command and was ultimately responsible for aircraft operation and safety during flight,” Det.-Sgt. Chad Michell told reporters on Tuesday.

He began his career in 1998 as a first officer and was promoted to the rank of captain in 2009.

He flew approximately 900 domestic and international flights on the forged licence, police allege, earning millions of dollars of salary over the course of his career.

The false credentials were first flagged during a “routine” operational evaluation in March 2025 at Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ont., Mitchell said.

“Anomalies were detected within the pilot licence documentation he presented,” the investigator added.

“The Transport Canada regulatory investigation later commenced, concluded, and was followed by this criminal investigation.”

The Peel police investigation began in January 2026 after officers were briefed by Transport Canada about the regulator’s findings.

Investigators said while the accused did have some qualifications to be a commercial pilot, he never obtained the Airline Transport Pilot Licence for Aeroplanes (ATPL(A)), a high-level licence that is required to to fly passengers on the planes he was flying, which included the Boeing 767, 777, and 787.

The accused also attempted to conceal the forged documents by filing a false police report, investigators said.

The former pilot now faces several charges, including fraud over $5,000, uttering forged documents, possession of counterfeit mark, and public mischief. He is scheduled to appear in court in Brampton on June 29.

Safety ‘not compromised,’ Air Canada says

In a statement released Monday, Air Canada said safety was “not compromised” by the incident, noting that all pilots “undergo mandatory recurrent training” every six months to “validate their flying competency,” which includes a flight check with a certified Transport Canada check-pilot every year.

“Throughout his employment with Air Canada, the individual in question was a fully trained pilot who held a valid Commercial Pilot Licence, and he successfully met or exceeded the required recurrent training, demonstrating a high level of competency to safely operate large aircraft,” Air Canada said.

The airline did say that the pilot lacked the mandatory ATPL, which must be obtained by all captains of large aircrafts operated by airlines in Canada and involves a series of written exams.

When asked whether police believe passenger safety was compromised, Milonovich said “licensing requirements exist for a reason.”

“I did see the statement that was released by Air Canada and I’m not going to comment on that. The way I reconcile it in my own mind in terms of how you can explain this to the layman (is) this is very similar to a doctor that is licensed to practice family medicine that is doing brain surgery in their office,” he said.

“Regulations, licensing requirements, they exist for a reason. They exist to keep people safe… when we misrepresent the qualifications that we have, to me, that is a safety issue."

Nando Iannicca, chair of the Peel Police Service Board, said qualifications and credentials are essential to ensure public trust in institutions and professionals.

“The allegations in this case suggest a deliberate effort to circumvent systems designed to safeguard the public,” he said. “When that occurs accountability is essential.”

Police have said that Wall’s career with Air Canada ended in 2025.

In a statement provided to CP24 on Tuesday afternoon, Georgian College said that the accused was a part-time employee, though it did not confirm whether he continues to work for the college.

Wall is listed as the military-connected coordinator on Georgian College’s wesbite.

“As this is an active criminal investigation, Georgian will not comment on the arrest or charges, nor on the current employment status of the accused, which remains an employment matter,” the statement noted.

With files from CP24’s Chris Fox and Joanna Lavoie