An inquiry is under way into how an immigration detainee who was being deported from the UK managed to free himself from restraints and started to run, close to the takeoff paths of planes at Heathrow airport.
The man, who was captured on film sprinting across the runway at Terminal 2 on Sunday, was about to be deported to India but managed to break free from the guards holding on to his waist restraint belt while escorting him to the plane.
A spokesperson for Mitie, which holds a Home Office contract for removing people from the UK, told the Guardian: “An investigation into the incident is under way. The individual was quickly apprehended, reboarded the flight, and was handed over to the relevant authorities on landing.”
The incident came to light because it was captured by a plane spotter and aired on the YouTube channel Big Jet TV.
The person who filmed the incident can be heard saying: “What’s going on here? Why would there be people running across the [tarmac]?”
After the man was stopped, the narrator added: ‘What the hell was that all about? They are stopping aircraft taxiing as well.’”
Metropolitan police sources confirmed that they played a role in detaining the man and that normal operations then resumed at the airport.
John Van Hoogstraten, an aviation expert at Straten Consulting Services Ltd, said: “What is known as the movement area of the airport is the entire airside. We have to consider all movement in this area, whether it’s wildlife or something else. It’s always a challenge for airports about how to get people on to planes if they’re not using an air bridge.
“The minute an unaccounted person is airside there’s no protection about what happens next in operations. In these cases aircraft have to cease operations. They will be told to stop immediately. Safety is paramount. A jet blast is sufficient to severely injure if not kill a person. The reaction of a pilot trying to land a plane and seeing a person try to cross a runway can be devastating.”
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Working with partners, we have quickly resolved an incident at the airport involving an individual who accessed the airfield taxiway. The airport continues to operate as normal and passengers are travelling as planned.”
Home Office sources confirmed that Mitie was investigating the incident.
