He also earned $2 million in salary.
An Air Canada pilot operated thousands of flights for nearly 17 years without the required license. Geoffrey Wall faces criminal charges for flying more than 900 domestic and international flights using fraudulent licenses during his lengthy career. He was arrested following a police investigation that began in January.
Wall began his career in 1998 and, after eleven years, was promoted to captain. To serve as a captain, he needed an airline transport pilot license (ATPL) from the regulator, which he did not have. According to police, he concealed this fact and deceived both the airline and Transport Canada.
The incident came to light last year when inconsistencies were discovered during a routine check at Toronto Pearson Airport. Air Canada found that the pilot did not have the appropriate license, removed him from active duty, and reported the issue to Transport Canada. The regulator reviewed his credentials and found discrepancies, prompting a criminal investigation in January, called “Project Icarus,” which included an analysis of his license. Wall retired before the review or the police investigation concluded.
Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said that Wall possessed a counterfeit license and had filed a false report about stolen pilot documentation.
Police clarified that Wall was licensed to fly commercial planes throughout his 27-year career with Air Canada, but never had the ATPL required for captains flying large aircraft. With his credentials, Wall was only licensed to fly as a co-pilot or first officer. “This is very similar to a doctor that is licensed to practice family medicine, but is doing brain surgery in their office,” Milinovich said. Police found that Wall misrepresented his qualifications to both the regulator and his employer.
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Air Canada released a statement emphasizing the seriousness of the incident. “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, including a flight check with a certified Transport Canada check-pilot every 12 months,” the statement said.
Deputy Chief Milinovich was asked whether safety was compromised by the pilot’s actions and responded that licensing requirements exist for a reason. “When we breach those, not only when we breach them, but when we misrepresent the qualifications that we have, to me that’s a safety issue.”
Between 2009 and 2025, Wall captained more than 900 flights on Boeing 767, 777, and 787 aircraft, earning $2 million in salary. He was also a member of the Air Canada Pilots Association and served as chair of the master executive council. After retiring, he worked part-time at Georgian College, which confirmed his employment but declined to comment on his current status or his arrest. The college also removed his biography and photograph from its website.
Air Canada conducted an audit of its pilots and confirmed no other non-compliances were found.
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Wall faces charges of public mischief, fraud over $5,000, two counts of uttering forged documents, and three counts of possessing counterfeit marks. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 29.