MONTREAL- A former senior Air Canada (AC) captain has been arrested on fraud charges after allegedly operating hundreds of flights without holding the required pilot license. Peel Regional Police, the force that polices Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), confirmed the arrest as part of a fraud investigation named “Project Icarus.”
The probe began after a routine certification check exposed inconsistencies in the pilot’s credentials. Transport Canada later imposed a monetary penalty on the individual for not holding a mandatory Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL).
Air Canada Pilot Arrested
Peel Regional Police told PEOPLE that the unnamed pilot was arrested on fraud charges, and investigators declined to comment further at that stage. The force described the matter as a complex fraud case that ultimately traced back to a single former airline captain.
Authorities allege the pilot flew thousands of passengers across hundreds of flights without the proper license. The case surfaced when a random certification check turned up discrepancies, which then triggered the wider fraud investigation.
Police scheduled a news conference for Tuesday, June 9, at 11 a.m. local time to release further details on Project Icarus. Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich and Peel Regional Chair Nando Iannicca were expected to speak at the briefing, ABC News reported.
Why the ATPL Matters for Airline Captains
Captains who command large aircraft operated by airlines in Canada must hold an Airline Transport Pilot License. Pilots obtain the ATPL by passing a series of written examinations.
The former captain had been promoted to the captain rank but did not hold this license.
He had held a valid Commercial Pilot License throughout his time at the airline, which permits commercial flying but does not by itself meet the captain requirement for large airline aircraft.
Air Canada’s Response and Safety Assurances
Air Canada disclosed the matter in a press release on Monday, June 8. The airline said that “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 carrier stressed that “safety was not compromised by this incident,” pointing to its mandatory recurrent training cycle. All Air Canada pilots complete recurrent training every six months to validate their flying competency, and this includes a flight check with a certified Transport Canada check-pilot every 12 months.
The airline also framed licensing as a core safeguard. It said, “However, appropriate licensing is an essential layer of the airline industry’s multi-layered approach to safety, so Air Canada takes this matter with utmost seriousness.”
Internal Audit and Tightened Verification
Air Canada said it audited its entire pilot group after the discovery and “found no other instances of non-compliance.”
The carrier added that pilot licenses are cross-checked by a certified check pilot twice a year as part of recurrent checks and training.
The airline said it has reinforced its administrative practices when physically verifying licenses. This now includes verifying the original documents issued by Transport Canada.
Pilot’s Standing and the Active Probe
Air Canada said the individual was “a fully trained pilot who held a valid Commercial Pilot License” throughout his employment.
The carrier added that “he successfully met or exceeded the required recurrent training, demonstrating a high level of competency to safely operate large aircraft.”
The former pilot is no longer employed by Air Canada. The airline said it could not comment further due to “privacy law and an active criminal investigation.”
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