Airline Under Fire After Shuttling Unaccompanied Minors to Terrorists in Syria
Joe Cortez February 25, 2015
Turkish Airlines is under fire after three British girls under the age of 17 were allowed to board a flight to Istanbul, with intentions of joining ISIS in Syria.
Authorities are working to piece together how three British schoolgirls between the ages of 15 and 16 boarded a Turkish Airlines flight — unsupervised — from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to Istanbul Ataturk Airport (IST) with the presumed goal of joining jihadists in Syria.
Although BBC reports officers previously ruled the girls were not at risk after a former schoolmate’s suddenly ran away to Syria in December 2014, other sources claim the runaway lured the girls to Syria via social media.
According to investigators, the trio traveled to Istanbul unaccompanied via Turkish Airlines Flight 1966 on February 17. Despite authorities’ beseeching airlines to report suspicious activities, the girls may not have raised flags at Turkish Airlines. Experts believe the missing girls are part of a bigger problem in the U.K., where upwards of 500 teenagers are believed to have run away to join extremist fighters in Syria and other countries.
This problem is not exclusive to the U.K. though, as demonstrated at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on Wednesday when the FBI arrested Akhror Saidakhmentov, 19, as he was attempting to board a flight to Turkey. Saidakhmentov was reportedly on his way to join the Islamic State in Syria (ISIS) with two other men.
“The fact that this is still happening shows that security needs to be stepped up,” says Emily Dyer, a research fellow in Islamism for the Henry Jackson Society. “When three young girls — two only 15 — arrived at the airport without parents and wanted to board a flight to Turkey … it should have alerted suspicions.”
Turkish Airlines maintains that its policy of allowing travelers as young as 13 to fly unaccompanied is in line with IATA guidelines. Ali Genc, senior vice president of media relations at the airline, told TravelMole:
Turkish Airlines, similar to the other international airlines, has the reponsibility to control the validity of the required visas of its passengers for the international travel during the check-in and boarding at the airports before flight, all the other security issues before flight being under the authority and responsibility of official airport authorities.
[Photo: Met Police via BBC]
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One of my friends has a son now aged 14 who has been flying between the UK and Germany unaccompanied every weekend for the last few years. He is very grateful that he no longer needs to be escorted by airline staff in a bright yellow embarrassing vest, as is required for kids under 13 or so. It is not the job of Turkish Airlines to be acting as a surrogate parent.
I don't get why TK is to blame? Their regulations don't prohibit 15-year-olds to travel alone, it should be the problem of immigration. I travel alone without being declared as a UM (costs way too much) and I have a parental letter of consent with me for immigration. The airline has nothing to do with this!
Umm, yeah. Flying alone at that age isn't unusual. I took my first unaccompanied flight at 12. I wasn't registered as an UM, I just had a relative landside at each end of the flight. Airside, I was on my own, I knew what I was doing. Then at 16 I started working for AA and had nonrev benefits of my own. If authorities want to stipulate that airlines must have under 16s/17s/18s registered as UMs, then say so. Then watch: the US will make anyone under 21 have to register as an UM...
Parents didn't keep tab on their passports? Oh wait, the 15yo had stolen her 17yo sister's passport, and was obviously a good enough likeness to fool both TK AND Turkish immigration. So as far as TK are concerned, 2 17yos and a 16yo were going on holiday.
whats this Unaccompanied Minors crap? People in Europe go on holiday together from the age of 15, during school holidays without parents. And usually get drunk on a greek or balaic island and lounge round on the beach, because the 2 star hotel you booked is a dive. Turkish Airlines would have never suspected 3 girls going off on holiday together. The parents failed.