A man who flew from London to New York without any passport or boarding pass has been arrested after he failed to appear at a court, as per a report in the BBC. Craig Sturt was arrested at 8 am on Monday in Richmond, south-west London, according to the Metropolitan Police.
The 46-year-old from Slough, Berkshire, is accused of passing through Heathrow Airport's security checks without showing credentials before boarding a British Airways flight to John F Kennedy Airport on December 23 last year without a passport or boarding pass.
He was stopped on arrival at the John F Kennedy Airport and sent back to the United Kingdom, where he was charged with fraud and offences under the Aviation Security Act. He was originally taken into custody on Christmas Day at approximately 8:00 pm. following his return flight to London.
British Airways stated that he was aiding the authorities with their inquiry.
A Heathrow Airport spokesman said, "All people who go airside are subject to security screening, including the individual involved in this case. We are supporting the authorities with their ongoing investigation."
Meanwhile, a British Airways flight from London to Prague was forced to turn around and make an emergency landing after fumes were observed in the cockpit on January 22. According to Metro, the plane took off from Heathrow Airport at 7.25 am on Sunday and was expected to land in Prague just after 10 am.
However, half an hour into the flight, it turned around over the Strait of Dover and came back to the UK, according to flight path data from FlightRadar24. The plane flew back to Heathrow and touched down at 8.41 am.
As soon as the plane landed, several fire engines rushed towards it.
A British Airways spokesperson blamed a 'technical issue' for the quick about-turn, though they did not specify what had caused the pilots to choose to return to Heathrow.
British Airways said in a statement: ''We're sorry for the delay in our customers' journey after the aircraft returned to Heathrow as a precaution. Our teams looked after them whilst they waited to board a replacement aircraft to continue their journey.''
