British boy, 11, sneaks onto Rome flight without passport
Liam Corcoran walked through security checks without showing any documentation and successfully boarded a Jet2.com flight to the Italian capital on Tuesday, the airport in north-west England admitted.
He was scanned by security staff but they did not notice his lack of a passport and boarding pass as he mingled with a family boarding the plane, the Manchester Evening News reported.
Passengers noticed halfway through the flight that the boy was alone and alerted the cabin crew.
"This extremely serious matter is now being urgently investigated by officials from the airport and airline," an airport spokesman said.
"It is clear that documentation has not been checked correctly at security and the boarding gate. The boy went through full security screening so the safety of passengers and the aircraft was never compromised."
Several staff from Manchester Airport and Jet2.com have been suspended while the investigation takes place.
The incident comes as some two million people head to Britain for the Olympic Games, which open in London on Friday.
Security at the Games has been under the spotlight after Britain was forced to deploy an extra 4,700 troops to guard venues following a recruitment meltdown at a private security contractor.
An airport spokesman said Liam stayed onboard the plane after it landed at Rome Fiumicino Airport and returned on the same plane to Manchester, where he was met by his mother.
The Manchester Evening News said he had run away from his mother during a shopping trip at the city's Wythenshawe Civic Centre and travelled to the airport on his own.
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@Tariq: hahaha Spot on!
@anonymous: dude, IT IS the immigration authorities ( which are part of the security system) who scan passports. Having traveled internationally, I know,the stringent checking, one has to go through at an airport. I am surprised, the BRITISH AUTHORITIES at their immigration counters WERE SLEEPING, that a passenger slipped through without a ticket & a passport. My goodness, these goons are worse than the semi-literate staff employed at the airport in swat. May God HELP THE BRITISHERS
Hahaha. What an irony! The Sun reporters should worry about getting on flights in UK without even a passport rather than cooking up stories about foreign passport systems.
@SP BANSAL: No its because you are obsessed with Pakistan and you and your fellow trolls jump on any opportunity to malign pakistan.
if he were a Pakistani then the story would have been blown totally out of proportion and him labelled as a terrorist. Seriously - rest of the world how come no one else is ever a suspected terrorist??
@SP BANSAL: That came to your mind because you had Indian curry last night..
This is a major failure of the airlines. They are supposed to head count the number of passengers on the flight and tally it with the passenger list before taking off. Strange that they did not notice it themselves until alerted by the passengers. The Security is also to be blamed as no one is allowed to enter in the security check line without a boarding pass.
The security system does NOT check passports in the UK. That is the airline's responsibility.
What about The Sun reporter who is publishing fake passport scandle against Pak and Now The real story of a british kid ha ha ha lolz QUESTION for Manchester security ???
British PM says Britain has fool proof security system. Shame!
1st thing came in mind in first 2 commentor is if he is from Pakistan then terrorist. This is reputation of Pakistanis world wide.
It would have been amazing if his real name would have also been given.
But this impression is created by the country/Govt that this is real fact
If he was from Pakistani origin then would not have met his mother and sent home so easily. It would have been thoroughly investigated if he ever visited Pakistan in his life of 11 years and weather got terrorist training any-where?
a terrorist?