Once at the airport, the little girl started talking to a group of passengers in the terminal, allowing her to completely bypass security.
Advertisement
On landing in St Petersburg after the 90 minute flight, the girl received a call from her parents who were anxious about her after she failed to return home from school.
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.
Upon landing at Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg, police-who had been tipped off by girl’s parents- picked her up at the airport where she was wandering around unaccompanied. After passing the security checkpoint, she managed to board a Rossiya Airlines plane alongside a large family with children.
After she came clean about her sneaky cross-country adventure, the girl’s parents contacted airport staff, who handed her over to social workers so she could be taken back to Moscow.
Flight attendants also failed to notice the girl was travelling on her own without ID or a ticket.
The incident that transport police reported Wednesday raises questions about security at Russian airports.
The 11-year-old said she was motivated by her desire to fly and to see St.Petersburg.
In July 2012 11-year-old Liam Corcoran caught a bus to Manchester Airport and flew to Rome without a ticket or passport or anyone questioning what he was doing.
Advertisement
The boy had run away from his mother during a shopping trip and made his way to the airport after he found a boarding pass on the floor.
