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A boy aged 11 was today found to have boarded a British flight and reached Rome without a passport or boarding pass.
Liam Corcoran evaded all security checks at Manchester airport to join the Jet2.com flight unaccompanied.
A major security investigation has been launched and five airport staff are believed to have been suspended, with Transport Secretary Justine Greening describing the incident as a “very serious breach”.
“We take any breach of security very, very seriously,” she told the BBC.
“We are investigating with Manchester airport, and indeed the airline, to find out exactly what happened. We are very keen to find out what has gone on.”
The boy managed to find his way past five security checks at the airport for the flight yesterday afternoon. The captain was only alerted when holidaymakers became concerned when the flight was in the air.
Earlier in the day Liam had run away from his mother as she shopped in Wythenshawe Civic Centre and made his way to the airport where he followed a family in Terminal 1.
Security staff scanned him but did not realise that he was on his own and had no boarding pass. He went unchallenged through further checks before taking his seat after airline staff failed to spot he had no boarding card stub.
They allegedly compounded their mistake by failing to make an accurate headcount, or realise that the numbers of passengers and the boarding cards failed to tally.
Once the alarm was raised during the flight the captain radioed back to Manchester and police were able to contact Liam’s concerned mother and pass on the news of where her son was.
Fellow passenger Sarah Swayne, 26, said: “He was very talkative and seemed quite unfazed by it all. He just sat there chatting away about how he had been trying to run away from home.”
At Fiumicino airport in Rome Liam was asked to stay on the aircraft as the other passengers filed off and last night landed back in Manchester on the return flight where he was met by his mother and interviewed by police.
A Manchester airport spokesman said: “This extremely serious matter is now being urgently investigated.
“It is clear that documentation has not been checked correctly at the boarding gate.”
A spokesman for the airline said: “We are fully investigating the incident as a matter of urgency and the staff involved have been suspended during this investigation.”
Runaway boy 11, boarded plane and reached Rome with no passport or boarding pass - UK - News - Evening Standard
Liam Corcoran evaded all security checks at Manchester airport to join the Jet2.com flight unaccompanied.
A major security investigation has been launched and five airport staff are believed to have been suspended, with Transport Secretary Justine Greening describing the incident as a “very serious breach”.
“We take any breach of security very, very seriously,” she told the BBC.
“We are investigating with Manchester airport, and indeed the airline, to find out exactly what happened. We are very keen to find out what has gone on.”
The boy managed to find his way past five security checks at the airport for the flight yesterday afternoon. The captain was only alerted when holidaymakers became concerned when the flight was in the air.
Earlier in the day Liam had run away from his mother as she shopped in Wythenshawe Civic Centre and made his way to the airport where he followed a family in Terminal 1.
Security staff scanned him but did not realise that he was on his own and had no boarding pass. He went unchallenged through further checks before taking his seat after airline staff failed to spot he had no boarding card stub.
They allegedly compounded their mistake by failing to make an accurate headcount, or realise that the numbers of passengers and the boarding cards failed to tally.
Once the alarm was raised during the flight the captain radioed back to Manchester and police were able to contact Liam’s concerned mother and pass on the news of where her son was.
Fellow passenger Sarah Swayne, 26, said: “He was very talkative and seemed quite unfazed by it all. He just sat there chatting away about how he had been trying to run away from home.”
At Fiumicino airport in Rome Liam was asked to stay on the aircraft as the other passengers filed off and last night landed back in Manchester on the return flight where he was met by his mother and interviewed by police.
A Manchester airport spokesman said: “This extremely serious matter is now being urgently investigated.
“It is clear that documentation has not been checked correctly at the boarding gate.”
A spokesman for the airline said: “We are fully investigating the incident as a matter of urgency and the staff involved have been suspended during this investigation.”
Runaway boy 11, boarded plane and reached Rome with no passport or boarding pass - UK - News - Evening Standard
