A former Air Canada pilot has been charged with criminal offenses after allegedly flying commercial aircraft for nearly 17 years using a fraudulent pilot’s license, Canadian authorities said on Tuesday.

Peel Regional Police announced the arrest of Geoffrey Wall on June 1, stating that he is accused of acting as captain on more than 900 domestic and international flights between 2009 and 2025 without holding the required qualifications.

Investigators allege that Wall never obtained the mandatory Airline Transport Pilot License for Aeroplanes (ATPL-A), which is required to serve as a captain on commercial passenger aircraft. Despite this, he is said to have flown large aircraft including Boeing 767, 777, and 787 models while serving in a senior cockpit role.

“This investigation and the details surrounding it read like a movie script,” said Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Milinovich during a news conference in Ontario. He added that Wall “rose to the position of pilot in command” and flew for years while earning nearly CAD 3 million in salary.

Authorities said Wall was otherwise licensed to fly commercial aircraft during his career with Air Canada, but the required captain-level certification was never obtained after his promotion in 2009.

Police described the case as highly unusual given the length of time and number of flights involved, and confirmed that the investigation is ongoing. (ILKHA)