A former Air Canada pilot who served as captain on more than 900 domestic and international flights since 2009 faces multiple charges following a “complex” fraud and forgery investigation by police who allege the man captained the flights without the required licence.
In speaking about the four-month probe dubbed Project Icarus on Tuesday morning at Peel Regional Police headquarters in Mississauga, Peel police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich told a press conference details of the investigation “read like a movie script.”
The former commercial airline pilot, a Barrie man who retired in 2025 after a 27-year career with Canada’s flagship carrier, now faces charges that include fraud, forgery and public mischief, police said.
The charges stem from a criminal investigation led by Peel police fraud detectives, who were contacted in January by Transport Canada, the country’s aviation regulatory body.
Police said the federal authority had “initiated a regulatory review into the licensing credentials and conduct of a commercial airline captain” and subsequently reached out to Peel police.
Milinovich said Peel Regional Police took lead on the investigation because the pilot was based out of Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga, which is within their jurisdiction.
Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich speaks to reporters at a Tuesday press conference in Mississauga.
The police probe revealed the man “allegedly used fraudulent pilot licences during his career and service as a captain” and “allegedly deceived both his employer, Air Canada, and the federal civil aviation regulator, Transport Canada.”
Prior to retiring last year, the man had been “assigned to more than 900 domestic and international flights as a captain and earned over $2.9 million in salary” between 2009 and 2025, investigators said, adding the accused captained flights that carried tens of thousands of passengers over the years.
The accused began his career with Air Canada in 1998 and over the next 11 years moved up the ranks, becoming a captain in 2009.
Geoffrey Wall, 59, of Barrie, was arrested on June 1, police said.
He’s charged with:
- Fraud over $5,000
- Uttering forged documents (two counts)
- Possession of counterfeit mark (three counts)
- Public mischief
Police said records indicate that while the accused possessed a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL-A), he did not hold the required Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL-A) necessary to operate aircraft, including a Boeing 777, as a captain.
In explaining the difference between the two licences, in plain terms, Milinovich said it’s akin to “a doctor licensed to practise family medicine doing brain surgery.”
He added the requirements for each type of pilot/captain licence “exist to keep people safe.”
Police noted that throughout his career, Wall also held several positions with the Air Canada Pilots Association, including serving as chair of the Master Executive Council, the governing body of the ACPA.
Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said in a news release the case “is deeply concerning and strikes at the heart of public trust and safety, as the accused is alleged to have put hundreds of thousands of passengers at risk across more than 900 domestic and international flights.”
Air Canada, meanwhile, said a former pilot has been fined by Transport Canada for not having the correct licence to be an aircraft captain.
The airline, which did not name the pilot, says he held a valid commercial pilot licence, but was promoted to captain without the required airline transport pilot licence.
Air Canada added safety was not compromised and that an audit of its pilots found no other instances of non-compliance.
The airline said it was unable to provide further comment due to privacy law and an active criminal investigation.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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