Police released details Tuesday of an investigation into an airline captain who allegedly piloted hundreds of flights for Air Canada without the proper licence.
Here are the latest updates:
11:25 a.m. - Suspect was based out of Pearson airport
Police say that the accused was arrested in Barrie and was based out of Pearson International Airport.
11:22 a.m. - Suspect was licenced as commercial pilot
Det. Sgt. Chad Michell says that while the accused was licenced as a commercial pilot, he was not licenced to fly passengers internationally on the aircrafts he was piloting.
“That is where the differentiation comes in,” Michell says.
11:20 a.m. - Not licenced to fly as captain
Police say that the accused was not licenced to fly the planes he was flying as captain.
11:11 a.m. - Seven charges laid
Det. Sgt. Chad Michell says that the former Air Canada pilot is facing seven criminal charges after he allegedly operated commercial flights without the proper licence.
11:09 a.m. - Counterfeit licencing documents
Det. Sgt. Chad Michell says that police are alleging that the accused was in possession of “materially altered and counterfeit” licencing documents.
11:06 a.m. - ‘Anomalies’ detected in documents
Det. Sgt. Chad Michell says that “anomalies” were detected in the airline transport licence documents presented by the pilot in March, 2025, which led to the police investigation.
11:04 a.m. - Allegations date back to 2009
Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich says that the suspect flew since 2009 using “fraudulent licencing documents” and piloted more than 900 flights during that time period.
11:02 a.m. - ‘A deliberate effort’
Peel Region Chair Nando Iannicca says the allegations being made by police “suggest a deliberate effort to circumvent systems designed to safeguard the public.”
Air Canada releases statement
In a statement released Monday, Air Canada said safety was “not compromised” by the incident, noting that all pilots “undergo mandatory recurrent training” every six months to “validate their flying competency,” which includes a flight check with a certified Transport Canada check-pilot every year.
“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.
The airline did say that the pilot lacked the mandatory airline transport pilot licence, which must be obtained by all captains of large aircrafts operated by airlines in Canada and involves a series a written exams.
Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich and Peel Regional Chair Nando Iannicca are expected to speak at the news conference, which will be held at 11 a.m.
With files from CP24’s Joanna Lavoie
