WATCH: Tardy passenger chases plane on runway, manages to get in
Perhaps to escape pricey rebooking fees, a late passenger managed to bolt his way to his seat in a Ryanair flight that was preparing for take-off for the Canary Islands from Madrid-Barajas Airport in Spain.
On Friday last week an airport employee filmed the spine-tingling incident, which has garnered 1.3 million views as of Thursday.
As seen in the video uploaded by CC.OO Ryanair and Lesma Handling Facebook page, the passenger, a Bolivian national, is seen jumping from the Jetway onto the tarmac while clutching two carry-on bags. He tries to call the attention of the driver of a baggage-carrying vehicle. Noticing he was ignored, he sprints to the Boeing 727, which has detached from the terminal.
The unnamed male passenger had dashed through the fire exit, triggering the alarm and attention of the airport police. “This is how passengers in Madrid behave when they don’t arrive in time for their flights. This particular passenger was missing a Ryanair’s flight and, unbelievably, skipped several security protocols established by Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA) in their airports. We’re talking about level 4 security protocols,” the translated Facebook post read.
The Spanish airport’s spokesperson told The Guardian that the incident occurred at 9 p.m. on Aug. 5.
“The passenger had reached the gate with his boarding pass after clearing security,” the spokesperson told the news site. “He broke through a fire escape, the doors opened and he got out that way.”
CNN reported that the passenger was detained by the police upon arriving at the Canary Islands. He was welcomed with a hefty fine for breaching airport security. Gianna Francesca Catolico
