Peel Regional Police have scheduled a press conference for Tuesday morning to reveal details of a complex fraud investigation into a former Air Canada captain.
The pilot allegedly operated hundreds of flights without the proper licence.
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The investigation, dubbed Project Icarus, involves an unnamed pilot who has already been fined $67,500 by Transport Canada.
The fine covers 18 counts of flying without a proper licence between December 2024 and March 2025.
Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich and Peel Regional Chair Nando Iannicca are expected to speak at the 11 a.
m. briefing.
According to ABC News, the individual has been charged with fraud.
Air Canada confirmed that the pilot held a valid commercial pilot licence but lacked the mandatory airline transport pilot licence required to serve as a captain on large aircraft.
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The airline employs more than 5,200 pilots and stated that an internal audit found no other instances of non-compliance.
In a formal release, Air Canada said the pilot was fully trained and met all recurrent training requirements, demonstrating high competency.
The company noted that flight crews undergo mandatory recurrent training every six months and an annual flight check with a Transport Canada check-pilot.
"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 stated.
Air Canada emphasized that safety was not compromised, though the individual is no longer employed.
The carrier declined to provide specifics on flight routes or the pilot's employment duration.
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"However, appropriate licencing is an essential layer of the airline industry’s multi-layered approach to safety, so Air Canada takes this matter with utmost seriousness," the company said.
