A former Air Canada pilot is accused of carrying thousands of passengers on commercial flights without the proper license for 17 years, authorities say.

Police said the pilot, Geoffrey Wall, a 59-year-old man from Ontario, was found to have been flying with falsified credentials since he was promoted to captain in 2009.

He now faces several charges related to fraud.

Air Canada said the pilot was immediately removed from duty after the false documents were discovered last year.

“The company voluntarily notified Transport Canada of the matter,” the airline said.

The airline stated that passenger safety was never at risk, highlighting that all pilots undergo competency training every six months.

Document falsification

Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich of the Peel Regional Police said Wall piloted for Air Canada for 27 years, having started his career in 1998.

According to the police, the pilot had been falsifying his credentials since 2009, at which time he was promoted to the position of pilot in command, or captain.

To perform that role, pilots are required to have an airline transport pilot license (ATPL), which is earned, in part, by passing a series of written exams.

“It is very similar to a doctor licensed to practice family medicine performing brain surgery in his office,” Milinovich said.

The police indicated that, during the last 17 years, Wall flew different models of Boeing airplanes and made a total of 900 national and international flights, receiving a million-dollar salary; all, presumably, without having the necessary credentials.

Uncovered

Authorities reported that the alleged fraud was discovered last year during a routine evaluation, when irregularities were detected in the accused pilot's license documentation; This led to an investigation by Transport Canada, the country's federal transportation agency.

Peel Regional Police then launched a criminal investigation into Wall that included a search warrant and analysis of his license, which police said turned out to be fake.

On June 1, Wall was formally charged with seven offenses, including fraud, forgery and possession of a counterfeit trademark.

Air Canada stated that the pilot had complete training and a valid commercial pilot license, but lacked the ATPL license required to operate as a captain under Canadian regulations.

In its statement, the airline added that it “takes this matter with the utmost seriousness” and said it had completed an audit of its pilots without finding any other cases of non-compliance.

Asked why Wall's alleged fraud went unnoticed for years, Milinovich noted that offenders can become "very skilled" in the art of "deception and trickery."

“It is not uncommon for fraud to persist for years,” he said. “In the end, the consequences catch up with you, and that's when we intervene.”

Wall is scheduled to appear in court on June 29.