Pilot of major airline arrested, secretly flew without proper license
A pilot working for Air Canada, the country's national airline, has been arrested and charged with seven criminal counts after flying hundreds of flights without the proper license since 2009. The matter was first discovered by the airline and referred to Canadian transportation government agency ...
Pilot of major airline arrested, secretly flew without proper license
Overview
A pilot working for Air Canada, the country's national airline, has been arrested and charged with seven criminal counts after flying hundreds of flights without the proper license since 2009.
The matter was first discovered by the airline and referred to Canadian transportation government agency Transport Canada and the regional police for a fraud investigation dubbed "Project Icarus."
In a June 9 morning press conference, Peel Regional Police Board Det. Sgt. Chad Michell said the pilot, unidentified publicly, had an active license as a commercial pilot and completed required training every six months, but lacked the proper certification for flying as captain on the specific type of aircraft and international flight.
Air Canada pilot fired, charged after flying hundreds of flights without certification
"Immediately upon Air Canada's discovery of this, the individual was removed from active duty, and the company voluntarily reported the matter to Transport Canada," the airline said in a statement. Passenger safety was not at risk, the statement added, indicating that the airline "takes this matter with utmost seriousness."
Michell said the pilot was charged with seven criminal counts and a $67,500 administrative fine under the section of Canadian transport law that "prohibits anyone from acting as a flight crew member or exercising the privileges of a permit, licence, or rating in Canada unless they hold the appropriate, valid document."
Related: Air Canada CEO stepping down amid language scandal
Michell explained that the situation was not simply a matter of oversight, since the pilot presented "materially altered and counterfeit" documents pretending to have valid certification.
Instances of him producing "fraudulent licensing documents" upon inspection date back to 2009 and more than 900 flights flown. The pilot was based out of Pearson International (YYZ) in Toronto, the busiest airport in Canada.
Details
The fraud investigation began in March 2025 after one of the inspectors checking the pilot's certification discovered "anomalies" and reported the matter to authorities in what kicked off the fraud investigation.
Exact charges and the resulting punishment have not yet been officially released by Canadian officials.
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"A deliberate effort to circumvent systems designed to safeguard the pilot"
Peel Region Chair Nando Iannicca said that although the known facts "suggest a deliberate effort to circumvent systems designed to safeguard the public," he did not comment on motive, since the pilot was licensed to fly as first officer.
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"Throughout his employment with Air Canada, the individual in question was a fully trained pilot who held a valid Commercial Pilot Licence, and he successfully met or exceeded the required recurrent training, demonstrating a high level of competency to safely operate large aircraft," Air Canada said further in its statement.
This is the second major image crisis faced by Air Canada. The carrier's chief executive Michael Rousseau retired early after he refused to address the families of two pilots killed in a March 22 runway crash at LaGuardia Airport in their native French.
The incident sparked long-simmering language-related resentment from many of Air Canada's Quebecois passengers.
Related: Pilot killed in LaGuardia plane crash identified by family
Source
Originally published at www.thestreet.com.
