You run to the boarding gate, only to find it closed. But you can see your plane, just now rolling across the tarmac. If only you could run out there and flag it down!
That’s exactly what one man did in Spain recently. The Ryanair passenger managed to bypass security at Madrid-Barajas Airport and leap from an open gangway onto the tarmac.
Still lugging two bags, he appears to try to stop a baggage carrier vehicle, but gives up and then sprints toward the waiting plane where he is finally stopped by ground crew.
But perhaps most remarkable of all, the man then boarded his plane, which was bound for Spain’s Canary Islands.
The passenger, whose nationality is not yet known, was detained upon landing in Gran Canaria, a spokesperson from the Spanish Civil Guard told CNN.
He will be tried in Gran Canaria, although he’s no longer being held.
The frantic dash was caught on camera by a ground crew member at the airport and posted on the CC.OO. Ryanair and Lesma Handling (Madrid Airport Workers Union) Facebook page.
“This particular passenger was missing a Ryanair flight and, unbelievably, skipped several security protocols established by AENA (the authority which deals with Madrid-Barajas airport),” said the post.
“We’re talking about level 4 security protocols! Not even with all those protocols we can feel safe,” it continued.
An AENA spokesperson told CNN that the passenger entered the boarding area and broke through the anti-fire barrier to run after the plane.
“Because the alarm was triggered, the airport’s Civil Guard was alerted,” the spokesperson added.
Ryanair said in a statement that “since this video relates to a security breach at Madrid Airport, it’s a matter for Madrid Airport Police.”
Madrid Airport Police declined to comment.