A man reportedly managed to slip onto a British Airways flight at Heathrow Airport without a boarding pass or passport.
The ‘scruffy-looking’ traveller allegedly boarded the 7.20am flight to Oslo after tailgating travellers through security and then bypassing checks at the departure gate.
It is understood that the unnamed man had pretended to be with a family who passed through the final passport check at the gate before getting onto the plane on Saturday.
Cabin crew became suspicious of him when he kept moving seats on the plane, which was full, and could not give any travel documents.
The man was later arrested by police, according to airport sources.
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Mike LaCorte, chief executive of private investigation company Conflict International, was on the flight with his wife, on their way to a break in Oslo.
He witnessed the entire incident and told The Telegraph it was clear the man did not have the necessary travel documents.
Mr LaCorte described the man as scruffy-looking, in his late twenties or early thirties, wearing an off-white tracksuit and carrying a small rucksack.
Sources said the man had tailgated his way through automatic gates at Terminal Three’s security screening area’s entrance, the Telegraph reported.
In order to join the queue for security checks to detect any prohibited items, passengers must scan their boarding passes.
After passing security, the man allegedly fooled the BA check-in agent by posing as part of a family who had their passports and boarding passes inspected in the usual way.
What security measures are in place to prevent unauthorised boarding of flights?
Airports are vulnerable to different types of security threats like theft, terrorism and smuggling.
Over the years, airports have improved their security approaches to keep their passengers and staff safe.
Heathrow uses biometric technology to process passengers on flights to UK and Ireland destinations.
It works by using a camera to capture an image of the passengers face when they show their ID or boarding card.
A biometric template is then created which is compared with another image to verify the passenger’s identity.
To prevent security breaches, airports have a list of prohibited items, including weapons, drugs and other harmful or illegal substances or objects.
These restricted items will be detected by scanners.
Source: International Security Buyer
Mike said airport security, shortly followed by armed police, arrived and removed the man from the plane.
Crew members then checked seats and searched cabin overhead bins before they were told to disembark.
Once off the plane, all passengers had to complete security checks again while sniffer dogs searched the airliner.
The flight was delayed for more than three hours, according to Mr LaCorte.
Philip Baum, a visiting professor of aviation security at Coventry University described the incident as a serious failure, saying airlines must be able to account for every individual on board at all times.
Mr LaCorte said passengers were offered a small voucher as compensation, which amounted to roughly £10 and could only be redeemed via a mobile app.
Heathrow Airport said they are unable to provide comment at this time due to the case being live.
Metro has contacted British Airways for comment.
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