An 11-year old boy boarded a Rome-bound plane at Manchester Airport without a passport, ticket or boarding pass despite full security checks.

The boy who went shopping with his mother at Wythenshawe Civic Centre went missing and proceeded to the nearest airport. After mingling with families, he got through checks to reach Terminal 1. The boy was found mid-air on the Jet2 plane on Tuesday after regular head count was not done before take-off.

A poor display of security check at the airports, this incident has caused security concerns especially with the London Games beginning on Friday. The failure of officials to request the boy for documentation at security checks shows the carelessness of the situation.

Transport Secretary Justine Greening said, “It is clear that documentation has not been checked correctly at security and the boarding gate. The boy went through full security screening, so the safety of passengers and the aircraft was never compromised.”

Jet2 spokesperson said, “On Tuesday an 11-year-old boy cleared security at Manchester Airport, without the necessary paperwork but had been through a full security search.” However, admitting the failure does not justify the incident that could have possibly turned into a Games threat.

Ms. Greening defended, “I treat security breaches very, very seriously indeed, so we are now reviewing urgently with Manchester Airport, and indeed the airline, exactly what happened.” The boy has returned to his family and was flown back to Manchester when the plane returned the same day.

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