Air Canada has addressed a monetary penalty imposed by Transport Canada on a former pilot who had been operating as a captain without holding the correct type of license..
The airline said on June 8, 2026 that the pilot, who had been promoted to captain, held a valid Commercial Pilot Licence and was fully trained, but did not hold an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL), which is the certification required by Canadian regulations for captains of large aircraft operated by airlines. An ATPL is obtained by passing a series of written exams beyond what a commercial license requires.
How Air Canada reported the pilot
Air Canada said it removed the pilot from active duty immediately upon discovering the issue and voluntarily reported the matter to Transport Canada. The former pilot is no longer employed by the airline, and an active criminal investigation is underway.
The airline also said it conducted an audit of its entire pilot group following the discovery and found no other instances of non-compliance. It has since reinforced its administrative practices around verifying pilot licenses, including physically checking original documents issued by Transport Canada.
Safety not compromised, airline says
Air Canada stressed that safety was not compromised during the period the pilot was flying. The airline pointed to its mandatory recurrent training program, which requires all pilots to validate their flying competency every six months, along with a flight check conducted by a certified Transport Canada check pilot every 12 months.
“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,” the airline said.
At the same time, Air Canada acknowledged that proper licensing is a critical layer in the aviation industry’s approach to safety. “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,” the company said.
According to Transport Canada, there were 18 offences in 2025 in Ontario related to operating a flight without holding the appropriate permit, with fines totaling CAD 67,500 (US $49,000).
Air Canada said it could not comment further due to privacy law and the ongoing criminal investigation.