Passenger chases plane on tarmac to catch flight
Airport workers filmed a passenger defying all odds to make his flight.
It could be teaching material for a lesson on how not to behave when you're late for a flight.
But the footage of a man leaping from a disconnected gangway before running across the apron of Madrid Airport, bag in hand, chasing his Ryanair flight, is said to be real.
Filmed by a member of ground crew at Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport and posted on the Lesma and Ryanair handlers' trade union Facebook page, the 48-second clip purports to show a passenger who has all-but missed his flight, attempting to hail it down.
The person who took the video posted that it was a Ryanair flight involved, and that the man had "skipped… various security procedures", adding: "This is how passengers in Madrid behave when they don't arrive in time for their flights.
"We're talking about level 4 security procedures. Not even with these procedures we can feel safe."
The man, believed to be a Bolivian national, jumped onto the ground from a boarding bridge and ran after the plane at Madrid's international airport.
The unidentified passenger was late for his Ryanair flight to the Canary Islands and incredibly, was allowed onto the plane, The Guardian reported.
A spokesman for Aena told The Guardian that the passenger had reached the gate with his boarding pass after clearing security.
"He broke through a fire escape, the doors opened and he got out that way."
The Mail Online reported that the passenger was allowed on board but was was stopped when he reached Gran Canaria.
"The man in question is now likely to face a very high fine," a Civil Guard spokesman said.
A spokesperson for Ryanair said it was a matter for the airport.
The passenger who ran onto the tarmac at a Spanish airport is facing charges for his dangerous stunt.
It is not the first time passengers have gained access to the tarmac to attempt to chase down their flight.
In June last year an Italian couple ran onto the apron to hail their Ryanair plane home from Malta. The pair were arrested before reaching the aircraft and fined £1670 ($A2835).
The Telegraph, London, Stuff.co.nz
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