A 39-year-old Norwegian man managed to board a plane at Munich airport without a ticket on two consecutive days, even successfully flying to Sweden on the second attempt, German police reported on Tuesday.
The man first bypassed security at Munich, Germany’s second-busiest airport, on August 4. He evaded the automatic boarding pass scan by standing close to another traveler, according to a report by the *Bild* newspaper. After sneaking through the gate, he proceeded to board the plane without being detected by airline staff.
However, his ploy was soon discovered when the fully booked flight could not accommodate him since he did not have a valid ticket or assigned seat. The man was handed over to the police, who charged him with the offense but then released him.
Undeterred by this brush with the law, the Norwegian returned to the airport the very next day. Employing the same technique, he again bypassed security and managed to board a flight, this time to Sweden. Unlike his previous attempt, this flight was not fully booked, allowing him to fly to Stockholm unnoticed.
His actions caught up with him upon arrival in Stockholm, where his suspicious behavior raised concerns. Airport staff noticed that he was eager to return to Munich immediately, leading them to alert the local police. The man was subsequently detained by the authorities.
According to police spokesperson Sebastian Pinta, while the man’s actions were unlawful, they posed no direct danger. The man is now under investigation for unlawful entry and transport fraud. Munich airport authorities are conducting an internal investigation to determine how he was able to bypass security checks on both occasions.
This incident highlights potential vulnerabilities in airport security protocols and raises concerns about how a person without a ticket could repeatedly evade detection and board international flights.
