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WATCH: Man catches flight after dashing across runway at Madrid airport

The Bolivian national now faces a hefty fine.

ryan Screengrab / Facebook Screengrab / Facebook / Facebook

THE RYANAIR PASSENGER who ran across the tarmac at Madrid’s main international airport is facing a hefty fine.

Footage published today shows the Bolivian national sprinting across the edge of the runway to try to board the plane.

The footage was originally posted on Facebook by a Spanish trade union.
https://www.facebook.com/AirlineStaffRates/videos/10154521861814497/

Initial reports claiming he missed his flight were incorrect and he did manage to get on the plane and reach his destination.

A Civil Guard spokesman in Gran Canaria, the plane’s destination, said the man was stopped when he reached the holiday island.

The spokesman said: “He breached a range of security measures when he saw he was going to miss his flight and, despite the efforts of ground personnel to stop him, managed to run across the tarmac as the plane was preparing to taxi out to the runway.”

A source close to the case said he was a Bolivian national who was believed to have been travelling alone.

“He wasn’t arrested but he was identified so his name could be passed to Guardia Civil officers in Madrid for them to take the appropriate action.

They didn’t manage to identify him in Madrid. The pilot presumably agreed to let him on board because he had a boarding pass but he was lucky not to have been stopped in Madrid because we’re currently on terror alert level four and he could easily have been mistaken for a terrorist with all the consequences that come with that.

“The man in question is now likely to face a very high fine,” the source said.

In a statement, Ryanair said: “Since this video relates to a security breach at Madrid Airport, it’s a matter for Madrid Airport Police.”

A spokesperson for the Spanish Airports Authority (AENA) said the unnamed offender had broken a fire alarm in an apparent diversionary tactic.

He said: “The incident happened around 9pm on Friday. We called the Civil Guard in after he breached security and broke a fire alarm before reaching the tarmac.

“We don’t know what happened after the Civil Guard were called. The only person who can answer the question of why he acted like he did is the man. It is definitely a first for this airport.”

Read: German police arrest man amid fears Islamic State was planning to attack football matches

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    Mute David Van-Standen
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    Oct 11th 2016, 3:20 PM

    Can’t help but wonder why they were not flying any sail, a reefed main or even a reefed head sail would have given them some forward motion and helped to stabilise the yacht, rather than bobbing around on bare poles at the mercy of the swell.

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    Mute eastsmer #IRExit
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    Oct 11th 2016, 3:42 PM

    @David Van-Standen: My guess is inexperience, they seem to have been totally dependent on the motor

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    Mute John Considine
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    Oct 11th 2016, 6:41 PM

    @David, on a delivery run they might have had only a minimum crew, as a forty-footer she’d need a few handy sailors. With one down sick they may not have been able to hoist a sail and tack or gybe it in the conditions. Look at those swells, you’d need to be experienced to go on the foredeck there.

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    Mute Chris Kirk
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    Oct 11th 2016, 4:51 PM

    Well done RNLI, many lives at sea would be lost without them……

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    Mute Upowthat Burke
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    Oct 12th 2016, 12:37 AM

    Sunday sailers out on tuesday

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    Mute John Innes
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    Oct 12th 2016, 12:33 AM

    Who wrote this? A 12yr old?
    If Courtmac RNLI received a Mayday from the Coast Guard it meant that the CG were themselves in imminent danger – as opposed to the sailboat.
    Next, you don’t ‘Tug’ a boat – You TOW it. The boat doing the towing is the tug!
    Of course it was at slow speed – anything faster would have damaged the towed vessel – even on a good day.
    And finally – Met Eireann don’t do Status warnings for vessels – those are for land-based dummies who don’t understand Small Craft warnings or Gale warnings which Met E issue for all craft in Irish waters.

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