How Did a Boy Sneak Past Heathrow Security and Board a Flight to Los Angeles?

There is an investigation underway at London’s Heathrow Airport to ascertain just how an unaccompanied 12-year-old boy with no documents got through security and boarded a flight to LA on Sunday. He was discovered after crew tried to check his seat details. He was removed from the plane by police.

An investigation is underway by police authorities at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) to ascertain exactly how a 12-year-old boy passed through security and boarded a British Airways (BA) flight to Los Angeles with no travel documents, The Telegraph reports.

The incident involving the unaccompanied child, who is believed to be Dutch, is said to have occurred on Sunday. It is reported that he was only discovered when asked for his boarding pass by crew members who wished to check his seat assignment.

According to eyewitness accounts, he was uncooperative with staff and was unwilling to leave the plane. The child was finally taken off the flight by police, but the incident caused a delay of over four hours to the service as all passengers had to be security screened a second time.

Commenting on behalf of London’s Metropolitan Police Service, a spokesperson said, “A 12-year-old boy boarded a BA flight from Heathrow to Los Angeles at around 17:15hrs on 14 July. He was identified by cabin crew during pre-flight check. He did not have a ticket or any travel documents.”

“The boy was an unaccompanied minor. He is not a UK national. As a security precaution, passenger de-planed following a discussion between the police and the captain. The child is believed to have arrived at Heathrow as a transit passenger,” they added.

A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport explained, “We are working with our police colleagues and British Airways to understand how an unauthorized passenger boarded the incorrect aircraft. The individual did not represent a security risk and, purely as a precaution, the aircraft in question was re-screened and has since departed. We apologize for the disruption and will continue working closely with the authorities and our airline partners to keep the airport safe.”

BA also issued a statement, saying, “We have apologized to our customers for the delay to their flight after an issue during boarding. The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority and everyone who had boarded the aircraft had been subject to security checks.”

“We conducted additional precautionary screening as soon as this issue came to light and we are assisting the police with their enquiries,” they added.

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