A couple is facing backlash at an international level after allegedly leaving their 10-year-old son behind at Barcelona's El Prat Airport because his passport had expired—all so they could proceed with their holiday plans.
The claim was made public by an air traffic controller who works at the airport and shared the incident in a viral TikTok video that has already garnered more than 300,000 views.
According to the controller, the boy was denied boarding after airline staff discovered that his passport had expired and that he lacked a required visa. But instead of canceling or postponing their trip, the parents chose to board the flight without him, arranging for a relative to pick the child up later.
“As a controller, I’ve seen a lot of things, but this has been completely surreal,” she said.
Parents go viral after abandoning their 10-year-old son at an airport because his passport had expired
Image credits: Everything Barcelona
Airport authorities were reportedly alerted when they discovered the boy sitting alone and visibly distressed near the boarding gates.
After speaking with him and learning that his parents had already boarded their flight, the staff immediately notified the police. Officers launched a search to locate the couple, who were eventually tracked down and brought back to the police station for questioning.
“He told them that his parents were on the plane on their way to their home country, going on vacation,” the air controller added.
Image credits: Tiktok/limasin41
It remains unclear whether the couple has been arrested or formally charged in connection with the incident.
As of now, Spanish authorities have not released an official statement confirming the events, the parents’ identities, or any legal consequences they may face. Key details—including the parents' nationality and the final outcome of the police intervention—have not been disclosed.
The parents reportedly arranged for a relative to pick up the child so they wouldn’t miss their flight
Image credits: Getty / Antonio Hugo Photo
The anonymity of the parents has so far shielded them from the kind of public shaming and social media backlash that netizens are often quick to unleash in similar viral cases. Still, the apparent decision by the parents has many calling for child endangerment charges.
The air traffic controller, herself a mother, was visibly disturbed by the incident.
“I’m amazed to think how parents could possibly leave their ten-year-old son at the terminal because he can’t travel due to documentation issues," she explained.
"They call a relative, who might take half an hour, an hour, or three hours, and they calmly board the flight and leave the child behind. As a mother, I’m amazed.”
Image credits: Echeverria Abogados
Among the many comments condemning the parents, a few tried to defend them, arguing that they were forced to make a “desperate” financial decision.
“The parents had to board the flight. It’s damage limitation… they would’ve lost all the money if they didn’t board—flights, accommodation, everything,” one user wrote.
Image credits: Unsplash / chuttersnap
This is far from the first time a similar incident has occurred at an airport. On social media, netizens have already started drawing parallels between the Barcelona incident and a disturbing case from early 2023 in which a Belgian couple left their infant alone at the check-in counter at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
The case drew comparisons to a 2023 case in Israel, where a couple abandoned a baby in a pushchair
Image credits: Freepik
In the Israeli case, the couple realized only upon arrival that their child did not have a ticket. They ignored specific airline policies requiring a paid fare for children over two or an infant in a car seat and refused to pay.
Then, the pair placed their baby in a pushchair at the desk and rushed to passport control.
Footage shared online captured airline staff uncovering a blanket draped over the stroller to reveal the abandoned baby, with audible gasps of disbelief being heard.
“We have never encountered anything like this,” one staff member admitted before immediately alerting airport security and police.
Image credits: Unsplash / emanuviews
Officers intercepted the parents before they boarded, escorted them back to the counter, and reunited them with their child. While they were detained and questioned, Israeli police later confirmed that the infant was back in their care and no ongoing investigation was pursued.
“They didn’t forget him, they abandoned their baby to avoid paying a plane ticket… this is horrifying,” a user wrote at the time.
As for the Spanish case, authorities have not confirmed whether charges will be filed against the parents.
"Disgusting." Netizens took to social media to call for the parents to be punished
