10.06.2026 10:12
A former Air Canada captain in Canada has been detained on allegations that he conducted hundreds of flights over nearly 17 years without holding the required license. Authorities stated that the pilot served on over 900 trips and earned millions of dollars in income.
It has been reported that a pilot who flew more than 900 flights without the required license for approximately 17 years at Air Canada in Canada has been taken into custody.
FLEW WITHOUT LICENSE FOR 17 YEARS
A written statement was made on the website of the Peel Regional Police in Ontario, Canada, regarding the investigation launched after "irregularities" were detected in the documents of a pilot working for Air Canada.
The statement indicated that Geoffrey Wall held a Commercial Pilot License (CPL-A) but did not have an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL-A), that he began flying as an unlicensed airline pilot in 2009, and retired in 2025.
The statement emphasized that Wall flew without a license on more than 900 domestic and international flights during approximately 17 years of his 27-year career and received over 2.9 million Canadian dollars in salary, noting that the pilot was taken into custody on June 1.
TAKEN INTO CUSTODY ON 4 CHARGES
The statement pointed out that Wall faces charges such as "fraud, forgery, disturbing the public order, and possessing counterfeit insignia."
Deputy Chief Superintendent Nick Milinovich likened the ongoing investigation to a "movie script" in his statement to the press.
According to CNN, Air Canada stated in a statement that the company's pilots undergo mandatory training every six months to verify their flight skills, and argued that Wall did not cause any security breach.
The incident brought to mind the 2002 film "Catch Me If You Can," directed and produced by American Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.