An 11-year-old boy has boarded an Italy-bound flight in Britain without tickets or a passport, while unaccompanied, just days before the Olympics.
Liam Corcoran caught a bus from his home to Manchester airport, five kilometres away, evaded five security checkpoints, and boarded the plane.
It wasn't until he started boasting mid-flight about running away from home that the alarm was raised about an unaccompanied minor on the flight.
Liam was kept on board the plane when it touched down in Rome and was immediately returned to Britain and the waiting arms of his frantic mother.
Liam's father, Aaron Fort, describes the boy as 'a handful' and has confirmed he has never had a passport.
"Liam told me the first time he knew he was in a bit of trouble is when the plane started to rise off the ground. He just did what the stewardesses told him and sat in his seat with his belt on," Mr Fort, 34, told The Daily Mail.
The 11-year-old's ability to evade all security checks and board an international flight raises serious concerns just ahead of the Olympics.
Three staff who waved Liam through have been suspended and the airline in question, Jet2, has introduced a headcount policy on all flights.
British Transport Secretary Justine Greening is furious.
"I treat security breaches very, very seriously, so we are now reviewing urgently with Manchester Airport, and the airline, exactly what happened," she said, while a spokesman for the airport tried to play down the incident.
"The boy went through full security screening so the safety of passengers was never compromised," he claimed, "at no time was there a safety risk".
Earlier this month and armed robbery suspect being extradited to the UK managed to escape through a luggage chute at Manchester Airport.
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