In a story that has stunned people around the world, a couple is being investigated for child abandonment after they left their 10-year-old son at Barcelona’s Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport so they wouldn’t miss their flight.
According to The Sun, the incident happened on a Wednesday when the family was preparing to board a flight to their home country. But when airport staff discovered that the boy’s passport had expired—and that he also required a visa—he was not allowed to board.
Rather than staying behind, the parents made the shocking decision to board the plane anyway with their younger child, leaving their 10-year-old son behind and calling a relative to pick him up later.
A terminal worker at the airport, who goes by Lilian and shared the story on TikTok, couldn’t believe what she saw.
“His passport in the country was expired, so the child was traveling with a Spanish passport but the Spanish passport needed a visa,” she explained. “As they did not have a visa, they left the child at the terminal and called a relative to come and pick him up.”
Lilian added, “How is it possible for parents to leave their ten-year-old son at the terminal because he cannot travel due to documentation issues? 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!”
@limasin41 Historias de aeropuerto surrealistas!! #aeropuerto #abandono #historytime #flightdispatcher #viralvideos #paratiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ♬ original sound - Limasin
Airport staff found the boy alone in the terminal and immediately alerted authorities. “He told them that his parents were on the plane on their way to their home country, going on vacation,” Lilian said.
Police then contacted the plane's pilot, who confirmed that he had been told there was “a minor in the car park.” He asked passengers "if someone had left a child in the terminal, and no one had answered." The parents, who were accompanied by another younger child, were eventually located. They were then taken to a police station to get their son.
Spain’s national police, Guardia Civil, and the local Catalonia police, Mossos d’Esquadra, were both involved. The child was taken to safety while his parents were questioned at the police station. Authorities have confirmed the couple is being reported for child abandonment.
