A former Air Canada pilot faces criminal charges for flying tens of thousands of passengers for nearly 17 years with a fake pilot’s license, Canadian police announced Tuesday.

Geoffrey Wall was arrested June 1 after investigators say he captained over 900 domestic and international flights from 2009 to 2025, without ever obtaining the proper license or completing the mandatory testing.

“This investigation and the details surrounding it read like a movie script,” Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Milinovich said in a news conference in Ontario. 

“(Wall) rose to the position of pilot in command where for almost 17 years they flew Boeing 767s, 777, and 787s,” while earning nearly $3 million Canadian dollars (more than $2 million US dollars) salary.

The allegations echo the 2002 film “Catch Me If You Can,” where a teenager talks his way into flying for PanAm.

In this case, Wall was licensed to fly commercial planes for his entire 27 year career with Air Canada, but police say he never possessed an Airline Transport Pilot License for Aeroplanes, also known as an ATPL-A, which was required when he was promoted to captain in 2009.

“This is very similar to a doctor that is licensed to practice family medicine but is doing brain surgery in their office,” Milinovich said. “There’s additional requirements and regulations to professional designations that exist for a reason.”

“We believe the accused misrepresented his qualifications to both his employer and the regulator,” Milinovich said.

Wall was caught after a routine examination of his credentials in 2025 revealed “anomalies… within the pilot license documentation,” and Air Canada notified regulators, the investigators said.

He retired in 2025 before the regulatory and criminal investigation, dubbed “Project Icarus,” was launched in January.

CNN was unable to immediately locate an attorney representing Wall.

The airline noted Wall was a licensed commercial pilot and regularly showed he was capable of safely flying large planes.

“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,” Air Canada said in a statement posted on Monday.

“However, appropriate licensing is an essential layer of the airline industry’s multi-layered approach to safety, so Air Canada takes this matter with utmost seriousness,” the airline went on to say.

Wall was fined by Transport Canada and faces seven criminal charges, including fraud over $5,000, two counts of uttering forged documents, and three counts of possession of a counterfeit mark, police said. He is expected to appear in court on June 29, 2026. (CNN)

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An Air Canada flight arriving at LaGuardia Airport in New York City crashed into a firetruck on Sunday night, leaving four firefighters critically injured, according to sources.

Emergency vehicles swarmed the runway after a plane heading from Montreal hit the firetruck at the Queens airport, according to footage captured by the Citizen App.

Images showed the front of the commuter plane smashed and tilting in the air. The injured firefighters are from the Port Authority Police Department, sources said.

One hundred passengers were on the jet, and their conditions are being evaluated. Sources said the plane was carrying a group of Orthodox Jews from the New York area.

The collision happened as the plane was heading to a gate, as heavy weather hit the area.

The FAA, Port Authority, and the FDNY did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment. (New York Post)

BREAKING: Several injuries after Air Canada plane and firetruck collide on runaway at New York's LaGuardia Airport pic.twitter.com/cO6u5HD1YA

— BNO News (@BNONews) March 23, 2026

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SriLankan Airlines has announced the resumption of its codeshare partnership with Air Canada.

Issuing a statement, the airline said that the resumption brings seamless connectivity between Sri Lanka, Canada, and beyond. 

Accordingly, travellers can enjoy smoother travel options via Frankfurt and Paris, making the journey more convenient. (Newswire)

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