Canada’s aviation industry could face intense international scrutiny and public distrust after the country’s national airline for years failed to detect that one of its pilots flew hundreds of commercial flights without an appropriate licence, some aviation experts say.
Geoffrey Wall, 59, of Barrie, Ont., was arrested on June 1 after an investigation by Peel police found he allegedly used “fraudulent pilot licences” to deceive Air Canada and Transport Canada during his time as a captain with the airline, according to a news release.
The case presents a “big issue” for Canada’s airline credibility, said John Gradek, a former Air Canada executive and professor in supply networks and aviation management at McGill University.
“The world is looking at what we’re doing in Canada … news organizations around the world [are] saying, ‘Is this common practice?’ ‘Should we be aware of Canadian pilots flying airplanes internationally into our airspace that are using counterfeit documents?'”
Police said Tuesday that Wall did not have an airline transport pilot licence, which is required to captain large commercial flights in Canada. He did, according to Air Canada, have a valid commercial pilot licence, which would let him fly as a first officer or co-pilot.
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Gradek said that if Wall had been stopped by inspectors for a licence check before departing for home following a flight, the fallout could have been worse.
“This guy would have been arrested and taken off the airplane,” he said.
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There have been instances in the past where countries have suspended airlines over alleged fake pilot licences. In 2020, for example, EU countries suspended Pakistan’s national airline after the carrier accused 150 of its pilots of obtaining fraudulent licences.
Pakistan suspends 150 pilots who may have obtained flying licences fraudulently
The damage to Air Canada’s reputation is “serious” and “causes complete distrust by the public of Air Canada and the guidelines and procedures they have in place,” said Paul Miller, a partner at Howie Sacks and Henry LLP, who specializes in aviation law.
“There is no doubt the next time I get on an Air Canada plane, me and everyone else on that plane are going to be wondering, ‘Is this guy properly licensed?'”
Gradek said the results of the investigation place Canada’s aviation system under scrutiny.
“As a result of this incident, we have to calm the water. We have to make sure the world understands we’ve got this under control,” he said.
While the incident is serious, lawsuits from passengers who may have been on a flight Wall captained are unlikely, said Miller.
“[It’s] astounding that it happened, but in order to bring a lawsuit, the last part of any claim is the damages part. No one suffered any damages … unless someone could come forward and say I was injured because of him and what he did, there’s no lawsuit,” he said.
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In a statement Monday, Air Canada said while Wall did not have the appropriate licence to captain a flight, safety was not compromised. Asked about concerns over its credibility, the airline referred to its initial statement on the investigation, saying the matter is now before the courts.
Gradek agreed there may not have been a risk to safety, noting that for years, Wall managed to clear Air Canada’s annual validation requirements for pilots. But regardless of his skill set, he was still unlicensed to fly their planes, he said.
Gradek said the investigation raises questions about communication between airlines and Transport Canada, the national body that issues pilot licences. He said trust could be rebuilt if airlines like Air Canada regularly publicized credential checks for their pilots by verifying their licences with the federal agency.
In an emailed statement Wednesday, Transport Canada spokesperson Hicham Ayoun, spokesperson said the agency takes “its aviation safety oversight role very seriously” and that its investigation into Wall resulted in 18 penalties against him totalling more than $67,000.
“Transport Canada will not hesitate to take additional actions based on new information as necessary to continue protecting the safety of Canadians,” Ayoun said.
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