A man managed to board a flight at a London airport without a ticket by tailgating through checkpoints, the 2nd similar incident in 2 months

20.02.2024 - 17:27 / insider.com / Airlines / London

A man boarded a plane without a ticket at the UK's second-busiest airport, a second such incident in under two months at London airports.

The incident, involving an "unauthorized passenger" occurred on a Norwegian Air Shuttle plane, which was scheduled to fly from London Gatwick to Copenhagen, Denmark on February 5, the airline confirmed to Business Insider.

The man "brazenly tailgated other passengers unnoticed through security checkpoints," an unnamed source told The Sun, which first reported the breach.

Gatwick Airport also confirmed the incident in a statement to BI, noting that the man had passed through a security screening checkpoint before boarding the plane.

"On 5 February, an individual boarded a flight without authorization. The individual had been security screened and therefore posed no immediate security risk. Police attended and the individual was removed from the airport," a spokesperson for the airport said.

Passengers were temporarily deplaned as the jet was searched before being cleared for departure, local police told BI.

The Boeing 737 left London one-and-a-half hours after the police were called, according to data from Flightradar24. It landed around two hours behind schedule.

In a statement shared with Business Insider, Sussex Police, which has jurisdiction over Gatwick, described the event as a "medical incident."

"Officers supported the airport's security team and provided assistance to a man following concerns for his welfare," it added.

The incident is the second time in under two months that a passenger has managed to board a plane at a London airport without a ticket.

In December, a British man managed to fly without a passport from London Heathrow Airport to New York.

Craig Sturt also tailgated passengers through security checkpoints, before boarding a British Airways flight, The Sun previously reported.

But while The Sun reports the other man was caught out by a suspicious crew, Sturt wasn't noticed until he landed in the US.

He was then sent back to the UK and charged on suspicion of fraud and aviation security offenses, before failing to appear in court on January 22, London's Metropolitan Police previously told BI.

Sturt was then arrested on February 12 and taken into custody, the police added.