11yo girl slips through Moscow airport security, flies to St. Petersburg (VIDEO)
Russian authorities are set to review security procedures at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, after an unaccompanied 11-year-old girl who had never flown by plane managed to slip through a number of security checks at the air-hub and fly to St. Petersburg.
Having never flown before in her life, the 11-year-old schoolgirl decided to test her fate and sneak onto a flight on Monday without a ticket or any form of ID.
According to the girl, her wanting to see St. Petersburg was driven by her desire to fly. That is why she decided to go into Vnukovo, where she passed all security checks undetected after mingling with a large crowd.
Apparently, airport staff failed to check the girl’s ID, as she appeared to be part of the group of passengers belonging to one large family. The Rossiya airline, which ran the flight that she boarded to reach the Venice of the North, also failed to notice or to inquire about the unaccompanied child.
Both the airline and the Moscow airport will now face an investigation into the incident, which seems to raise questions about the level of security in the Russian airports and domestic flights.
While authorities deal with possible negligence, the girl has been handed over to child services who are arranging for her return to the Russian capital.
The mother of the child also told the media that she planned to sue both the Moscow airport, and the carrier for compensation, for failing to carry out proper checks.
The irony is that the girl did not get a chance to see St. Petersburg. After the Rossiya flight landed, she proceeded along with the crowd of people who she had slipped through security with in Moscow to the arrivals hall in St. Petersburg. While the large family crowd left the terminal after arrival, for some unknown reason the little curious traveler failed to follow them.
She remained at the arrivals hall until her family members in Moscow rose the alarm when she failed to return home from school. Reaching the missing child on her mobile phone, the amazed parents found out that she was in Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg. The parents immediately contracted airport staff who tracked the missing child.
