A couple in Spain reportedly left their 10-year-old son at an airport. The parents opted to board their flight without him, eager to depart.
According to Lillian, an operations coordinator at the airport where this occurred, the child was left behind while the parents were already on the plane, perhaps heading back to their home country. She shared this bewildering story with her over 320,000 TikTok followers, although her claims haven’t been verified yet.
She elaborated that authorities were involved because the boy was flying on an expired passport and needed a visa for his travel. “I didn’t think that was normal,” she remarked, indicating that even the police seemed taken aback by the situation.
Most airlines allow unaccompanied minors to travel, but it’s generally expected that kids won’t be abandoned at the airport. Yet, stranger incidents have happened. For instance, a German couple forgot their 5-year-old daughter at Berlin’s Stuttgart airport back in 2018. And just recently, a two-year-old was left alone, tragically caught in a luggage conveyor at Newark Liberty International Airport in May.
Lillian reflected on her experience, calling the incident with the boy one of the most surreal moments of her career. “As an air traffic controller, I’ve seen all sorts of things, but this?” she expressed, incredulously. “It’s shocking to think parents would leave their son behind, especially over documents.”
She didn’t hold back her frustration, suggesting the parents’ actions were reckless. “They board quietly, leaving their child behind,” she added. “As a mother, this is just astonishing.”
It remains unclear if the boy’s parents faced any legal consequences.
