Wikipedia

List of people who have lived in airports

(Redirected from List of people who have lived at airports)

This is a list of people notable for living for periods of more than a week in airports. The reasons are usually protesting, asylum seeking or having difficulty with visas and passports.

List of residents

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  Currently in the airport

This is a list of notable people who have been living in airports around the world.

Name Profile Original nationality Location Period Duration
Khasan Aman Abdo, Gulistan Issa Shakho, and four children Syrian Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Russia[1] 10 September 2015 – 20 November 2015[2] 71 days
Family of Kurdish refugees fleeing the Iraqi Civil War who intended to seek asylum in Russia. After being initially denied entry into the country, they remained at the airport.[2][1]

The family was moved to a facility for temporary accommodation while they awaited further processing of their asylum application.[2][needs update]

Mohammed Al Bahish Iraqi-Palestinian Almaty International Airport, Almaty, Kazakhstan[3] March 20 – August 17, 2013 150 days
In Kazakhstan, while registering intention to marry, Al Bahish's refugee travel documents went missing, and his Kazakh and Emirati visas expired. Later he flew to Turkey in the hope of renewing his Kazakh visa, but was turned back at the border. Subsequently, he was flown back and forth four times and refused entry by either country.

He was allowed to go to a UNHRC refugee transit centre in Timișoara, Romania, and later granted asylum in Finland.[4]

Hassan Al Kontar Syrian Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Sepang, Malaysia[5] 7 March – 1 October 2018 208 days
Al Kontar was deported to Malaysia in 2017 after overstaying in the UAE for 5 years. During his stay, he saved money to buy a plane ticket to Ecuador, but was turned away by Turkish Airlines staff for unexplained reasons. He then attempted to fly to Cambodia after overstaying his Malaysian visa, but was denied entry and deported.

He was briefly detained by Malaysian immigration authorities for two months, until his asylum request was granted by the Canadian government.[6]

Arwa Almsrawi Syrian Istanbul Airport, Istanbul, Turkey February 2024 – September 2024 240 days (approx. 8 months; exact dates unknown)
Almsrawi was prevented from embarking on a flight to Toronto after landing in Turkey due to US authorities alleging she was on the American No Fly List. The Canadian Government later revoked her refugee status.[7]

She was given temporary Turkish residence.[8]

Gary Peter Austin British Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Philippines[9] 19 December 2012 – 11 January 2013[10] 23 days
Austin missed his flight. He had run out of money to book a new flight.[11]

Donors paid for a ticket back to the United Kingdom.[12]

Bahareh Zare Bahari Iranian Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila[13] 17 October – 6 November 2019[14][15] 20 days
Bahari was detained upon return to the Philippines from a trip to Dubai after Iran sought her via an Interpol Red Notice.[16]

The Philippine justice department recognized Bahari as a refugee on 6 November.[15]

Iyad El-Baghdadi Palestinian Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia[17] 13 May – 8 June 2014[17][18] 26 days
El-Baghdadi was deported to Malaysia by the UAE, not wanting to be detained there indefinitely without formal charges. He was then denied entry at the Kuala Lumpur airport because he had no official documents.[18]

The Palestinian Embassy issued him a passport, and officials in Kuala Lumpur admitted him into the country.[18] He then left Malaysia for Norway, applying for political asylum.

Feng Zhenghu Chinese[19] Narita International Airport, Japan[19] 9 November 2009 – 3 February 2010[19][20] 86 days
Feng began protesting after being refused re-entry into China.[19]

He was visited by several Chinese diplomats and entered Japan with anticipation of being allowed to re-enter Shanghai by mid-February. This later occurred, although he is now under house-arrest at his Shanghai apartment.[20][21]

Déo Hasabumutima Burundian Istanbul Airport, Istanbul, Turkey[22] 16 June 2021 – 7 July 2021[22] 21 days
On a transit from Niamey, Niger, Hasabumutima was refused boarding on a flight to Toronto, Canada because his Burundian passport was expired, despite possessing a valid Canadian permanent resident card.

He received assistance from the Canadian authorities.[23]

Zahra Kamalfar Iranian Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russia[24] May–June 2006 – 15 March 2007[24] 258–318 days
Kamalfar fled persecution in Iran with her family using falsified documents to seek asylum in Canada via Germany and Russia. The documents were rejected by German authorities and she was returned to Russia.[24]

The Canadian government granted asylum.[24]

Ahmed Kannan Palestinian Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Sepang, Malaysia[25] 21 May – 13 July 2013[26] 53 days
Kannan arrived without a passport because it had been confiscated in Turkey. After having overstayed in May 2013 in Malaysia, he had flown from Kuala Lumpur to Turkey, but without a visa. His passport was seized by Turkish immigration and he was deported back to Kuala Lumpur.

He was released on 13 July 2013, granted a 30-day Malaysian visa on humanitarian grounds.[26]

Arlen Khadaa Kyrgyzstani-Soviet Manas International Airport, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan[27] January 19, 2019 – October 8, 2020[28] 628 days
Khadaa lost Soviet citizenship at the dissolution of the USSR. He was refused a Norwegian residence permit and citizenship and returned to Kyrgyzstan.[29]

He was sent to Norway on 8 October 2020. He is the subject of the 2023 Norwegian documentary film Flyplassmannen (The Airport Man).[30]

Denis Luiz de Souza Brazilian São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil[31] c. 2000–present[31] 9685 days (approx. 25–26 years; exact dates unknown)
De Souza had frequent conflicts at home, deciding to take refuge in the airport. He seems to suffer from psychological problems.[31]

He still lives in the airport, but comes out occasionally.[31]

Eissa Muhamad Nigerien Addis Ababa International Airport[32] November 2018[32] – August 2019[citation needed] 300 days (approx.; exact dates unknown)
Muhamad was expelled from Israel after being caught without proper documents. On his way back to Niger, he transited to Addis Ababa. Niger refused to let him in, claiming the temporary travel documents were fake. He got stuck in Addis Ababa, where neither Israel nor Niger would take him back.[32]

He is now living in Senegal.[33]

Heinz Müller German Viracopos-Campinas International Airport, Brazil October 16–29, 2009[34] 13 days
Müller flew to Rio de Janeiro to meet with a woman he met online, who did not show up. He ran out of money and ended up in Campinas.[34]

He was taken to a hospital for a psychological evaluation.[34]

Mehran Karimi Nasseri Iranian[35] Charles de Gaulle Airport, France[36] 26 August 1988 – July 2006[35]
Mid-September – 12 November 2022[37]		 6518–6548 days
(17.84–17.93 years)
Up to 60 days on the second stay
Originally from Iran, Nasseri was given refugee status by UNHCR and claimed that his documents were stolen in Paris en route to the United Kingdom. He was refused entry and declined new papers due to changing his own name and place of birth. He became homeless again in 2022 and died later that year of a heart attack.[37]

He was hospitalised, put up in a hotel by the Red Cross and then moved to Paris by Emmaus.[36] During his second stay, he died of a heart attack.[37]

Hiroshi Nohara Japanese Mexico City International Airport, Mexico[38] 2 September – 28 December 2008[38][39] 117 days
Nohara declined to give his reasons.[39]

He left with a woman identified as Oyuki.[39]

Yvonne Paul Dutch Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands 11 October 1967 – 5 January 1968[40] 86 days
Paul previously lived in the USA, and had been deported as a result of expiring immigration documents. She set up a temporary base in Schiphol Airport whilst attempting to get new immigration documents.

After a formal request to vacate was ignored, she was arrested on 5 January 1968.[40]

Sanjay Shah (former Kenyan national) Kenyan Jomo Kenyatta International Airport June 2004 – July 2005 395 days (approx. 13 months; exact dates unknown)
Shah spent 13 months living in the duty-free section of Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, petitioning for full British citizenship. This was eventually granted on the grounds that he had already given up his former Kenyan citizenship.[41][42][43]
Aditya Singh Indian O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, United States[44] 19 October 2020 – 16 January 2021[44] 89 days
Singh decided not to take his connecting flight to India due to fear of COVID-19.[45]

He was arrested in January 2021, but cleared of charges in late 2021.[44][45]

Edward Snowden American Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Russia[46] 23 June – 1 August 2013[47] 39 days
While on a flight to Moscow-Sheremetyevo, authorities revoked Snowden's U.S. passport.

He was granted temporary asylum in Russia.[48] He later received Russian citizenship.[49]

Bayram Tepeli Turkish Atatürk Airport[50] 1991–2019[50] 9862 days (approx. 27 years; exact dates unknown)
Sabiha Gokcen Airport 2019–present 1825 days[timeframe?]
Tepeli ran away from family problems and worked at the airport for a while. Eventually he became sick, and could not work anymore, but decided to keep living at the airport.[50]

The airport closed for commercial passenger travel in 2019, so he had to leave.[50] He now lives in Sabiha Gökçen Airport.[51]

Abo Tetsuya Japanese Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Russia 29 May 2015 – 9 August 2015[52] 72 days
Tetsuya claimed to be a journalist, and that his seeking asylum was politically motivated. He hoped to receive Russian citizenship.

He was denied political asylum in Russia.[52]

Wei Jianguo Chinese Beijing Capital International Airport[53] c. 2008 – present[53] 6763 days (approx. 17–18 years; exact dates unknown)
Wei wanted to smoke and drink without his family bothering him. He also had difficulty finding work.[53]

He still lives in the airport, but comes out occasionally.[53]

Lisa Lee Wink Canadian Cancún International Airport, Cancún, Mexico 13 April 2023 – 15 May 2023 32 days
Unknown[54]

Wink was deported for aggressive behavior against other passengers.[55]

Yan Kefen and Liu Xinglian Chinese Taoyuan International Airport, Republic of China 27 September 2018 – 30 January 2019 125 days
Yan and Liu were trying to seek asylum in Taiwan during their transit, but they were refused for entry while their asylum applications were being considered by Taiwanese authorities.[56][57]

They were allowed to enter Taiwan on 30 January 2019.[58] They were finally admitted into Canada in May and July, respectively.[59][60]

Edgard Ziebart German Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi[61] 18 March – 12 May 2020[62] 55 days
Ziebart was prevented from embarking on the last leg of his flight when India imposed restrictions amid the coronavirus crisis. He refused German embassy evacuation flights, fearing prosecution for criminal offences.[62]

He left on a KLM repatriation flight to Amsterdam and was later extradited back to Germany.[62]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 Ellis, Ralph; Tawfeeq, Mohammed (30 October 2015). "Kurdish family stuck in Moscow airport". CNN. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Lokshina, Tanya (30 November 2015). "A refugee family's ordeal in Russia". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "Life in transit: What is it like to live in an airport?". BBC News. July 18, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Marooned at an airport... then what?". BBC. December 4, 2013.
  5. ↑ "This Syrian man has been stuck in an airport for months". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  6. ↑ "Syrian refugee stranded in airport for months is granted asylum in Canada". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  7. ↑ Kennedy, Brendan (2024-09-27). "This Syrian trans woman has been stranded in an airport for seven months after Canada pulled her refugee status mid-journey". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  8. ↑ "Border Violence Monitoring Network – September 2024 report" (PDF). Border Violence Monitoring Network. 2024-09-01. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  9. ↑ "The Terminal, PH Version". Rappler. 10 January 2013.
  10. ↑ "Stranded Brit flies home". Philippine Star. 12 January 2013.
  11. ↑ "Stranded Briton heads home after 22 days at Naia; kind Filipinos fed him". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 10 January 2013.
  12. ↑ "Dutch chef saves Briton". Manila Standard Today. 12 January 2013. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014.
  13. ↑ Fullerton, Jamie (6 November 2019). "'Losing my mind': former beauty queen pursued by Iran fears for her health". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  14. ↑ Regan, Helen; Berlinger, Joshua (29 October 2019). "Beauty queen says she will be killed if she is deported to Iran". CNN. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  15. 1 2 Fonbuena, Carmela (2019-11-09). "Philippines grants asylum to Iranian woman held in airport". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
  16. ↑ "Beauty queen trapped in airport for two weeks". News.com.au. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  17. 1 2 "How the UAE Tried to Silence a Popular Arab Spring Activist". The Intercept. 21 October 2014.
  18. 1 2 3 "Human Rights Activist Iyad El-Baghdadi Speaks Out on His Deportation from UAE". Global Voices. 30 October 2014.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Chinese human rights activist stuck at Tokyo airport". The Guardian. London. Associated Press. 13 November 2009.
  20. 1 2 "Chinese man who spent 3 months in Tokyo airport to leave". Saudi Gazette. Associated Press. 3 February 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013.
  21. ↑ Kurtenbach, Elaine (13 February 2010). "Chinese activist allowed to return home after 3 months at Tokyo airport". The Washington Post.
  22. 1 2 Schué, Romain (1 July 2021). "Un résident canadien coincé depuis deux semaines dans une zone de transit d'aéroport". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  23. ↑ Schué, Romain (8 July 2021). "(MAJ) Au lendemain de questions posées au ministre des Affaires étrangères, Marc Garneau, ce résident canadien a eu, enfin, des nouvelles d'Immigration Canada. Hier, après 21 jr dans une zone de transit de l'aéroport d'Istanbul, Deo Hasabumutima a pu prendre l'avion vers le 🇨🇦" (in Canadian French). Archived from the original on 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  24. 1 2 3 4 "Emotional reunion for Iranian family at Vancouver airport". CBC News. 15 March 2007.
  25. ↑ "22-year-old Palestinian stuck at airport for more than 50 days". The Star. 13 July 2013. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  26. 1 2 "Exclusive: Ahmed's ordeal over as he is allowed to re-enter Malaysia". The Star. 14 July 2013. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  27. ↑ "Stateless man trapped at Manas airport in Bishkek for 4 months". AKIpress. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  28. ↑ "Stateless man living in secure zone of Manas airport for 3 months". 24KG. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  29. ↑ "Strandet på flyplassen i Kirgisistan" (in Norwegian). NRK. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  30. ↑ Jærnes, Brita Sørli (29 September 2023). "Flyplassmannen". Sanden Media.
  31. 1 2 3 4 Martín, María (21 May 2015). "15 anos vivendo no aeroporto". El País (in Portuguese).
  32. 1 2 3 Igunza, Emmanuel (18 February 2019). "Israel deportee marooned in airport for months". Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  33. ↑ "Personal Twitter Account". Twitter. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  34. 1 2 3 "Headline: Ex-Pilot Lives in Brazilian Airport After Being Dumped". AOL Travel. 2 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-07-19.
  35. 1 2 "Stranded at the Airport". Snopes. 2 July 2008.
  36. 1 2 "Mehran Karimi Nasseri – In Transit". h2g2. BBC. May 28, 2008.
  37. 1 2 3 "Iranian refugee who inspired Spielberg's film 'The Terminal' dies inside Paris airport". CNN. 13 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  38. 1 2 "Japan Tourist Extends Layover at Mexico Airport: 85 Days So Far". Bloomberg. 26 November 2008.
  39. 1 2 3 "Man living at Mexico airport has a new home". NBC News. 31 December 2008.
  40. 1 2 "Yvonne Paul: 'Ik blijf'" [Yvonne Paul: "I am staying"] (in Dutch). 2012-05-04. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04.
  41. ↑ Mynott, Adam (29 June 2005). "UK waves in Kenya airport dweller". BBC News. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  42. ↑ Brennan, Emily. "The New York Times". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  43. ↑ Lacey, Marc (30 June 2005). "On Way to Life in Britain, With a Year's Airport Layover". The New York Times.
  44. 1 2 3 Gutowski, Christy (17 January 2021). "Man lived inside O'Hare for 3 months before detection, prosecutors say". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  45. 1 2 "Man who lived at O'Hare for 3 months without detection cleared of trespassing charges". Chicago Tribune. 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2021-10-27.
  46. ↑ "Moscow airport source confirms Snowden arrived on Sunday". Reuters. June 25, 2013.
  47. ↑ "Snowden in Moscow: What Russian Authorities Might Be Doing With the NSA Whistle-Blower". Time. 10 July 2013.
  48. ↑ "Statement on Snowden's Successful Russian Asylum Bid". WikiLeaks. August 1, 2013. Archived from the original on August 3, 2013.
  49. ↑ "Putin grants Russian citizenship to U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden". Reuters. September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  50. 1 2 3 4 "Terminal date close for man who has lived in Atatürk Airport for 27 years". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  51. ↑ "27 yıldır havaalanında ama hiç uçağa binmedi". odatv.com (in Turkish). 27 October 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
  52. 1 2 "Japanese Blogger Flies Home After Spending 2 Months in Moscow Airport". The Moscow Times. 9 August 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  53. 1 2 3 4 Weiyi, Qiu. "Displaced residents find warmth, shelter at Beijing airport". China Daily. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  54. ↑ "Canadian woman has lived for 15 days in the Cancún airport". Vallarta Daily. April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  55. ↑ "Concluye historia de canadiense". issuu. May 15, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  56. ↑ "Two Chinese Asylum-Seekers Stranded in Taiwan's Airport After Claim". Radio Free Asia. 1 October 2018.
  57. ↑ "2中國男滯留桃機9天 陸委會尚未決定去留". Apple Daily (in Chinese). 5 October 2018.
  58. ↑ 【獨家】滯留桃機125天終圓夢 2中國異議人士昨深夜入境台灣. Apple Daily (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 31 January 2019.
  59. ↑ Miao, Zonghan (21 May 2019). 滯留台灣233天 顏克芬終轉抵加拿大 (in Chinese). Central News Agency.
  60. ↑ Zhang, Shuling (21 July 2019). 滯台逾290天 中國異議人士劉興聯飛抵加拿大 | 兩岸. Central News Agency (in Chinese).
  61. ↑ Srivastava, Anvit (12 May 2020). "German man living at Delhi airport since March 18 leaves for Amsterdam on a relief flight". Hindustan Times. New Delhi. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  62. 1 2 3 "German man stuck 2 months in Indian airport". Deutsche Welle. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
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