UK boy Liam Corcoran, 11, sneaks on jet without passport, boarding card or parents

Liam Corcoran slipped through security at Manchester Airport yesterday, July 24, having escaped from a shopping trip with his mother, and was only discovered after co-passengers on the Jet2 flight became suspicious of the “Rome-alone” traveler.

A spokesman for Manchester Airport denied there was a security problem. “This isn’t a loophole in airport security. There was no threat to the airport or the aircraft or passengers.”

However he admitted serious errors had occurred and staff members have been suspended as a result.

"He went straight from security … to the nearest aircraft that’s boarding, which happens to be this Jet2 flight to Rome.

"At that point there should be checks for a boarding card, does he have a passport that matches the boarding card, does he have a seat and ultimately the head count on board. All of those checks didn’t pick him up and that is subject to a major investigation.”

At a time when British airport security is on heightened alert with the Olympics about to begin, this should be a serious concern for the authorities.

It’s not the first time a minor has been able to board a plane with no documentation.

In 1985 13-year-old Noel Murray and 10-year-old Keith Byrne slipped through security to board an Air India flight from London Heathrow to New York without passports or tickets.