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11 year old boy flies to Rome without passport or ticket
It will come as a surprise to anyone who has faced airport bureaucracy but an 11 year old boy has got away with the seemingly impossible and boarded a plane without a passport, boarding pass or ticket
Tara Harrison
It will come as a surprise to anyone who has faced airport bureaucracy but an 11 year old boy has got away with the seemingly impossible and boarded a plane to Rome without a passport, boarding pass or ticket.
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While his mother was at a nearby shopping centre, the boy hot-footed his way to Manchester airport on a mission to run away from home and ended up boarding a jet2.com plane.
The stowaway made it all the way to Rome, remaining unnoticed during boarding card and headcount checks. He was only detected when he told fellow passengers of his escape.
When the cabin crew were alerted, the captain contacted Manchester Police who relayed his location to his relieved but very stunned mother.
CCTV images show the boy appeared to be part of a larger family group in the busy airport terminal.
Manchester airport spokesman Russell Craig told the BBC that it wasn’t technically a security breach as the child posed no threat to the plane.
Regardless, an undisclosed number of security staff and cabin crew have been suspended pending investigation into the incident.
Do you think this could happen again?
Are children overlooked in crowded airports?
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