A plane-load of people flew into Britain from Spain without having their documents checked in either country, officials have admitted.
Passengers on the Ryanair flight are furious that there was no system in place to check for possible illegal immigrants or terrorists.
The plane left Malaga and flew into Bournemouth, where the 180 passengers walked out of the airport without showing their passports.It is thought a break-down in communication meant that no officials from the UK Border Agency were at the airport to check the passports when the flight landed.
Bob Shepherd, 59, the managing director of an overseas property company based in Spain, and a frequent flyer, said airport security had been farcical.
He said: ‘The bottom line is that something like 180 people got into England via Bournemouth Airport without any form of identification required.
Bournemouth Airport’s security was a farce on that day.’
He added that there had been no passport control in Malaga, which he said heightened the danger of illegal entry to the UK.
‘It was bizarre the way we were waved through in Malaga. I could have had Mickey Mouse on my passport. ‘I could have been a known terrorist going through Bournemouth without being stopped.’
A spokesman for the UK Border Agency said it was the responsibility of the airline or handling company to advise their staff when inbound flights arrive.
He said: ‘We were not notified on this occasion until passengers had passed through to the baggage reclaim area.
‘We are concerned that this situation occurred and we are working with the airport to ensure it does not happen again.’
A spokesman for Bournemouth Airport said the situation should not have occurred.
He said: ‘The airport is urgently investigating how the airline’s handling agent allowed passengers to enter the arrivals building before UK Border Agency staff were in place to receive them.’
But Tony Grunskill, a spokesman for airport operations firm, Servisair, blamed human error from UK Border Agency staff.
He said: ‘My understanding is that UKBA staff did not look at the arrivals board.
‘The flight arrived off-schedule. Our staff directed passengers downstairs to where they thought the UKBA staff were waiting.
‘Our staff worked to the best of their knowledge that the UKBA were there.
‘We are having top-level meetings with the immigration people and with the airport so that this does not happen again.’
The flight took off at 2.30pm on Wednesday in last week. – Dailymail
