Airline shocker: Parents ditch 10-year-old son at Barcelona Airport over expired passport
In a shocking twist of events at Barcelona Airport , a couple allegedly left their 10-year-old son behind at the terminal after discovering his passport had expired, choosing to board their flight home without him to avoid missing it. The disturbing event was first reported by The Sun and later confirmed by an airport worker who witnessed the situation unfold.
The incident came to light through a viral TikTok video posted by a terminal employee named Lilian, who is also an air traffic controller. The video, which has garnered over 300,000 views, harshly criticised the parents’ actions and has left many online users outraged.
According to Lilian, the child was carrying two passports—one expired, and the other a Spanish passport that required a visa which hadn’t been arranged. Instead of postponing their travel or staying back with their son, the parents allegedly made a baffling choice: they left the boy behind at the terminal and rang up a relative to come collect him later, as if he were forgotten luggage.
Read more: 10 frequently asked questions about Schengen visa-free travel — answered
“The explanation given to [the authorities] was that the child was traveling with an expired passport from Spain, and needed a travel visa,” said Lilian, speaking Spanish in the clip. “Since he didn’t have a visa, they left the kid in the terminal and called a relative to pick him up.”
However, airport staff intervened when they noticed the child alone and contacted the authorities. "He told them that his parents were on the plane on their way to their home country, going on vacation," Lilian said in her video, reported the Sun. “As they did not have a visa, they left the child at the terminal and called a relative to come and pick him up.”
The police were alerted without delay, and the aircraft’s pilot was contacted at once. Upon verifying the bizarre situation, authorities confirmed that the parents had indeed boarded the flight, casually bringing along another, younger child, as if nothing was amiss. The flight crew was immediately briefed, and the parents’ luggage was promptly offloaded. What was supposed to be a routine departure took a dramatic turn, as the couple was then escorted straight to the airport’s police station for questioning.
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Lilian expressed disbelief over the incident, saying, “I’ve seen a lot of things, but this has been completely surreal. How is it possible for parents to leave their 10-year-old son at the terminal because he cannot travel due to documentation issues?”
She added that while the parents treated the situation as perfectly normal, spoiler alert: it wasn’t, and the law enforcement took it seriously. "They saw it as very normal. Obviously, I didn't see it as normal and the police didn't see it as normal either," she said.
As of now, it remains unclear whether the parents were formally arrested or what legal consequences they may face. The incident has, however, raised serious concerns about child safety and parental responsibility during international travel.
The incident came to light through a viral TikTok video posted by a terminal employee named Lilian, who is also an air traffic controller. The video, which has garnered over 300,000 views, harshly criticised the parents’ actions and has left many online users outraged.
According to Lilian, the child was carrying two passports—one expired, and the other a Spanish passport that required a visa which hadn’t been arranged. Instead of postponing their travel or staying back with their son, the parents allegedly made a baffling choice: they left the boy behind at the terminal and rang up a relative to come collect him later, as if he were forgotten luggage.
Read more: 10 frequently asked questions about Schengen visa-free travel — answered
“The explanation given to [the authorities] was that the child was traveling with an expired passport from Spain, and needed a travel visa,” said Lilian, speaking Spanish in the clip. “Since he didn’t have a visa, they left the kid in the terminal and called a relative to pick him up.”
However, airport staff intervened when they noticed the child alone and contacted the authorities. "He told them that his parents were on the plane on their way to their home country, going on vacation," Lilian said in her video, reported the Sun. “As they did not have a visa, they left the child at the terminal and called a relative to come and pick him up.”
The police were alerted without delay, and the aircraft’s pilot was contacted at once. Upon verifying the bizarre situation, authorities confirmed that the parents had indeed boarded the flight, casually bringing along another, younger child, as if nothing was amiss. The flight crew was immediately briefed, and the parents’ luggage was promptly offloaded. What was supposed to be a routine departure took a dramatic turn, as the couple was then escorted straight to the airport’s police station for questioning.
Read more: Rajasthan in 7 days: From Jaipur to Kumbhalgarh for a memorable trip
Lilian expressed disbelief over the incident, saying, “I’ve seen a lot of things, but this has been completely surreal. How is it possible for parents to leave their 10-year-old son at the terminal because he cannot travel due to documentation issues?”
She added that while the parents treated the situation as perfectly normal, spoiler alert: it wasn’t, and the law enforcement took it seriously. "They saw it as very normal. Obviously, I didn't see it as normal and the police didn't see it as normal either," she said.
As of now, it remains unclear whether the parents were formally arrested or what legal consequences they may face. The incident has, however, raised serious concerns about child safety and parental responsibility during international travel.
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