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 that the pilot unidentified publicly had an active license as a commercial pilot and completed the required the training pilots are required to undergo 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 and hit with criminal charges after flying hundreds of flights without proper 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 that also says passenger safety was not at risk while it “takes this matter with utmost seriousness.”
Michell said that 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.”
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Michell further said that the situation was not simply a matter of oversight as 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.
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, as a result, the punishment faced have not yet been officially released by Canadian officials.
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“A deliberate effort to circumvent systems designed to safeguard the pilot”: police on Air Canada pilot
Peel Region Chair Nando Iannicca said the current facts known “suggest a deliberate effort to circumvent systems designed to safeguard the public” but 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 following the announcement of early retirement of chief executive Michael Rousseau after his refusal to address the families of two pilots killed in a runway crash at LaGuardia Airport on March 22 in their native French set off long-simmering language resentments of many of Air Canada’s Quebecois passengers.
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