A former Air Canada pilot flew thousands of passengers on commercial flights over 17 years without the required airline transport pilot license, allegedly using forged credentials to maintain his captain qualification, police in Ontario said Tuesday.
Geoffrey Wall, 59, from Ontario, was charged on June 1 with seven counts including fraud, forging documents and possession of a counterfeit mark, Peel Regional Police said. Wall was promoted to captain in 2009 and is alleged to have misrepresented his credentials since then.
Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said Wall had been flying with Air Canada for 27 years, beginning his career in 1998. For the role of pilot-in-command, Canadian regulations require an airline transport pilot license (ATPL), obtained partly through a series of written exams. Wall allegedly used forged documents to claim he held that license.
“This is very similar to a doctor that is licensed to practice family medicine, but is doing brain surgery in their office,” Milinovich said.
From 2009 through 2025, police said Wall flew several types of Boeing aircraft on about 900 domestic and international flights, and earned millions of dollars in salary — all allegedly without the proper credentials.
The alleged fraud came to light last year during a routine evaluation when inconsistencies were flagged in Wall’s license documentation, according to officials. Transport Canada, the federal transport department, opened an investigation. Peel police then launched a criminal investigation that included a search warrant and an analysis of the license, which police said they determined was forged.
Air Canada said the pilot was immediately removed from duty once the false documents were discovered. “The company voluntarily reported the matter to Transport Canada,” the airline said in a statement. The airline said Wall held a valid commercial pilot license and underwent competency training every six months, and that passenger safety was never at risk.
In a separate statement, Air Canada said it completed an audit of its pilots and found no other issues with non-compliance.
Asked why the alleged fraud went undetected for so long, Milinovich said offenders can become “very good” at “deceit and trickery.” “It is not uncommon for fraud to continue for years and years,” he said. “Eventually it catches up to you, and that’s when we get involved.”
Wall is due to appear in court on June 29.