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An extraordinary incident unfolded at Barcelona’s El Prat Airport when a couple allegedly abandoned their 10-year-old son at the terminal after discovering that his passport had expired.
Lilian Limasin, an air traffic controller at El Prat, recounted the “totally surreal” story on TikTok, explaining how a routine day quickly turned into chaos. While overseeing the departure of an aircraft bound for Casablanca, Morocco, at 8:30 a.m., she received an urgent order to ground the flight. Minutes earlier, Catalan police had found a young boy wandering alone through the terminal.
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When questioned, the child told officers that his parents had left without him. Despite repeated calls across the airport for the parents to come forward, no one did. Staff eventually discovered that the couple were already seated on the Casablanca-bound flight, prompting the Spanish Civil Guard to halt its departure.
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On being confronted, the parents gave a startling explanation. They had intended to travel to Morocco for a holiday with their two children, but realised at the boarding gate that their eldest son’s passport had expired. Rather than cancelling their plans, they allegedly left him in the terminal and phoned a relative to collect him before rushing to board the plane.
“His national passport had expired, so he was travelling with his Spanish passport, but it required a visa to be valid,” Limasin explained. “Because they didn’t have this visa, they left the child in the terminal and called a family member to come and pick him up.”
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According to Limasin, the parents considered their actions “perfectly normal,” but police viewed the matter very differently. The couple now face charges of abandoning a minor and causing a major flight delay. Spanish authorities have confirmed that social services are investigating, and the appropriate penalty will be decided once inquiries are complete.