A shocking incident at Spain’s Barcelona–El Prat Airport has left airline staff and police stunned after a couple allegedly left their 10-year-old son behind in the terminal and boarded an international flight without him.
The ordeal came to light when the flight, which had already pushed back from the gate, was suddenly called back to its parking position. According to the air operations coordinator on duty who created a TikTok (embedded below), the turnaround occurred after police informed her that a child had been found alone in the terminal’s public area, not the secure airside zone.
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“I had all the passengers on board,” the coordinator recalled in the TikTok video. “So when they told me a child had been found in the terminal, I couldn’t understand how he had been left behind.”
Authorities discovered the boy, who explained that his parents had left him at the airport while they continued on a vacation to their country of origin. His parents had allegedly realized his Spanish passport required a visa for their destination and because his foreign passport had expired, they decided he could not fly. Rather than rebooking or canceling their trip, they reportedly left him in the terminal and called a relative to pick him up then boarded the flight with their younger child.
After air traffic control contacted the cockpit and requested confirmation, the airline made a final call over the cabin PA asking if anyone had left a child behind. No one responded.
When the plane returned to the gate, police boarded and used the flight manifest to identify the parents. The couple, traveling with another younger child, were removed from the flight and taken to the airport police station for questioning.
“They saw it as very normal,” the coordinator said. “But none of us did. Not me, not the police.”
With the family offloaded, the airline was forced to redo flight documentation and conduct a luggage search though staff were relieved the passengers had been seated near the door and their bags could be removed quickly. The flight eventually departed for its final destination after the delay.
As for the boy, he remained at the airport with police until a relative arrived.
“These are the kinds of stories you never forget,” the coordinator said. “As a mother I can’t imagine leaving my child behind even for a second, let alone to go on vacation.”
I completely agree with the airport coordinator and I wish the parents subscribed to my free newsletter. Every January, I share a reminder to stop what you’re doing and check your passport and your family members’ passports to see if they’re expired or about to expire. Many countries will not allow entry if a passport has less than six months of validity remaining, even for short visits. Regardless, leaving your child behind because their passport isn’t valid is shameful.
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