Parents abandon 10-year-old son at Barcelona Airport so they wouldn’t miss their flight: report

A couple reportedly left their 10-year-old son at a Barcelona airport after his passport had expired so they wouldn’t miss their flight to their home country, according to media reports. 

The Sun reported that a terminal worker at the airport said the couple left Barcelona’s Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport on Wednesday without their child, choosing to have a relative pick him.

The air traffic control worker who went by Lilian, discussed the incident in a TikTok video, saying the child was prohibited from flying because of his expired passport. He also required a visa. 

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“His passport in the country was expired, so the child was traveling with a Spanish passport but the Spanish passport needed a visa. As they did not have a visa, they left the child at the terminal and called a relative to come and pick him up,” said Lilian.

 Airport staff found the boy by himself and alerted authorities, the worker claimed, according to The Sun report. 

“He told them that his parents were on the plane on their way to their home country, going on vacation,” she said. 

Contact was made with the plane’s pilot, who reportedly confirmed that the police told him there was a minor in the car park.

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He then asked passengers “if someone had left a child in the terminal and no one had answered.” The parents were located, who were accompanied by another younger child.

The parents were taken to a police station to get their son. 

“How is it possible for parents to leave their ten-year-old son at the terminal because he cannot travel due to documentation issues?” Lilian said. “They call a relative but the relative may take half an hour, about an hour, about three hours and they take the flight so calmly and leave the child behind!”

It was not clear if the parents were charged with any crime or their nationality.