14 People Who Lived in an Airport for Various Reasons
Whether you’re waiting for your no-show 90-day fiance, or the Canadian government is slow-walking your asylum status, there’s one thing we can all agree on: the airport isn’t a fun place to be.
Any Minute Now…
German citizen Heinz Müller showed up to a Brazilian airport to meet up with a woman he met online, and waited 13 days for her to show up. He was finally taken to a hospital for a psychological evaluation.
This Is Why You Always Show Up Earlier Than You Think You Need To
British national Gary Peter Austin missed his flight out of the Philippines, and ended up hanging out at the airport for 23 days before he got enough money from local donors to get on a new flight.
The Oldest Trick in the Book
German Edgard Ziebart was on his way home after a series of international flights when COVID restrictions were put in place. He was stuck in Indira Gandhi International Airport for 55 days, because he thought the German Embassy’s generous offer to evacuate him was a ploy to put him in jail.
That’s Chicago Hospitality
California man Aditya Singh was also traveling during COVID, but chose not to catch his connecting flight to India, hoping it would all blow over soon. He was highly educated, but unemployed, so he took a three-month sabbatical and camped out in a closed-off section of O’Hare, posing as an employee. He was arrested, but later cleared of any crimes.
All Right Then, Keep Your Secrets
Hiroshi Nohara was a mysterious Japanese citizen who showed up at Mexico City International Airport one day in 2008, hung around for 117 days without telling anyone why, then suddenly left with an even more mysterious traveler, a woman known only as Oyuki.
Canada to the Rescue
Syrian national Hassan Al Kontar was deported by the government of the UAE, who figured Malaysia was as good a place as any to send him. He spent 208 days there, saving up for a flight to Ecuador. For some reason, he was barred from his flight by Turkish Airlines employees, and Canada finally stepped in to grant him asylum.
Well, I Guess You Live in Turkiye Now
While traveling from Istanbul to Toronto, Syrian refugee Arwa Almsrawi was told he was on the United States’ no-fly list. Canada stepped in, this time revoking his status as a refugee. Turkiye granted him citizenship after eight months in their airport.
Eissa Muhamad Took an Unfortunate Detour on the Way Home
After being kicked out of Israel for not having the proper documentation, he was trekking back to his home country of Niger, when he inexplicably made a pitstop in Ethiopia. He was stuck there for about 300 days, because Niger insisted the documents given to him by Israel were fake. He eventually made it to Senegal.
Zahra Kamalfar Had to Hang Out in Russia for a Year
The Iranian refugee and her family were trying to make a hop, skip and a jump from Iran to Germany to Russia to Canada in 2006. But the Canadian government took 318 days to grant them asylum.
Sanjay Shah Camped Out in Duty-Free for 13 Months
The former Kenyan citizen was petitioning for British citizenship. After 13 months, the U.K. caved and granted it to him, since he’d already renounced his Kenyan citizenship.
Well, I Guess You’re French Now
Iranian Mehran Karimi Nasseri said his ID was stolen while in Paris, and because somewhere along the way he’d changed his name (and, somehow, his date of birth), no country would help him get new documentation. So he just hung out in a French airport for 17 years before being hospitalized.
This Guy Crashed at the Airport for 17 Years (and Counting) Because He Liked to Party
Chinese national Wei Jianguo started sleeping at Beijing International Airport because he wanted to drink and smoke without his family giving him guff about it. He’s been there since 2008.
Denis Luiz De Souza Has Been in an Airport for Over Two Decades
The Brazilian man ran away from home at age 17 to escape family trouble, and has been at the airport ever since — approximately 25 years. In recent years he occasionally ventures out, but is mostly based out of São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport.
An Airport Employee Crashed at Work for Almost Three Decades
Bayram Tepeli worked in an airport in his home country of Turkiye, and began living there when he had family trouble at home. When he had to stop working due to illness, he continued living there, for a total of 27 years. When his airport closed, he just moved to a new one.
