Son's (10) passport has expired - parents simply leave him at the airport

A family with two children wanted to check in at Barcelona airport for their vacation. Everything went smoothly for the father, mother, and one of the children. However, there was a problem with the 10-year-old son: His passport had expired and he didn't have a visa, as the Spanish newspaper " El Confidencial" reports.

The parents decided to leave their son at the airport and fly as a trio. Friends of the parents were supposed to pick up the 10-year-old later. Lilian, a flight coordinator who works at Barcelona's El Prat Airport, described the incident on her TikTok account @limasin41. She described the experience as "completely surreal."

Lilian's colleagues spotted the boy standing alone in the airport terminal and notified the police. A loudspeaker announcement urged the parents to report to the police station immediately, which they did before the plane could take off.

The police took the parents and the other child to the police station in the rural area where the ten-year-old boy was. "They thought it was perfectly normal. Of course, I didn't think it was normal, and the police didn't think it was normal either," Lilian said. She had to take care of the return of the luggage after the incident. "As a mother, I'm stunned," Lilian describes her feelings. She remembers how she would feel afraid if she lost sight of her daughter for even a second when she was little.

This is indeed not an isolated case: A few years ago, the confession of a father who left his daughter at the airport because her passport was invalid made the rounds. He and his wife had saved up for a long time for the vacation, the father argued.

When the family arrived at the airport, airline staff discovered that the girl's passport would expire in less than two months. The airline was adamant and refused the 14-year-old boarding. After a long discussion, the father finally decided to take the long-saved vacation with the rest of the family and the 14-year-old's siblings—leaving his eldest daughter behind. The grandfather then picked up the child from the airport and drove her home.

Air travel is part of everyday life for many people – but how much do we really know about what's happening above our heads? Here are some astonishing facts that might surprise even frequent flyers.

• Nearly five billion passengers worldwide: In 2024, around 4.9 billion people traveled by plane—a new post-pandemic record. In Germany, the number also rose to around 199.5 million passengers.
• The world's largest aircraft: With a wingspan of 117 meters, the "Stratolaunch" (nicknamed "Roc") is the world's largest aircraft. It was built to enable rocket launches from the air.
• Turbulence is usually harmless – but unpleasant: It's caused by weather patterns, jet streams, or mountain ranges. Even though it's a stomach ache, airplanes are designed to fly through it safely.
• Climate protection is putting pressure on the industry: Air transport accounts for approximately two to three percent of global CO₂ emissions. Airbus plans to launch a hydrogen-powered passenger aircraft by 2035.