Page 5 | Passenger escorted onto plane by armed officers

latesummerreminiscing · 2025-08-30T18:34:27+00:00

I took a flight from Germany to the UK yesterday and noticed at the gate were two armed officers waiting with a paper document at the gate. Then, that particular passenger was escorted onto the plane before anyone else, by both officers, they filled out paperwork before the rest were allowed onto the flight. No police were not with him on the flight though. He was in the front seat and very calm during the flight. What on earth was this about?? Lots of people were really worried

fashionqueen0123 · 31/08/2025 21:16

JustPinkFinch · 30/08/2025 20:08

I sat next to a guy once on a flight from USA to UK who had been deported and put on the plane by armed officers of some description. We chatted. He had been in prison in the US (drugs) and was immediately deported on release. Had nothing on him, not even a passport, just some papers for the other end, and a small hold all with clothes. No phone. Next to no cash. No bank account or cards. Once we got to Heathrow I let him make some calls from my phone and helped him sort out train tickets up to Liverpool where a brother lived. He'd been in prison for years. It was all quite mad, he was totally lost and bewildered stood in Heathrow with just the clothes on his back.

Edited

That’s awful! Good job you could help him.

I once saw a prisoner presumably being taken from one jail to another in the USA on a plane, orange jumpsuit and shackles. Really seemed horrible. I mean I don’t know what crime he had committed but they do have harsher punishments there and it drew a lot of attention.

IllBeLookingAtTheMoon · 31/08/2025 21:16

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HollyGolightly4 · 31/08/2025 21:19

His passport has probably expired (6 months, or issued more than ten years ago) and easyJet let him fly. They don't care, they don't check properly, they get fined and the passenger has to fly home.

Check your passports folks.

Marmite27 · 31/08/2025 21:20

Beachtastic · 31/08/2025 20:32

This needs to be made into a movie starring Maggie Smith!

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It may prove difficult though, seeing as though she’s dead…

Maddy70 · 31/08/2025 21:23

Trendyname · 31/08/2025 18:21

Do Brits need visa to enter Germany?

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He may not have had a British passport.

notimagain · 31/08/2025 21:26

Mia184 · 31/08/2025 20:47

I am German and the police here are always armed - by British standards probably quite heavily.

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Agreed..the UK is a bit of an outlier.

For example.the French equivalent of Uk Border Force is the Police aux frontieres ("PAF") and their officers carry sidearms as a matter of routine, even when stuck in booths doing routine passport checks.

It's not that unusual to see them airside, armed up, walking deportees to departure gates.

Berlinlover · 31/08/2025 21:30

I saw this when I was flying from Munich to Sarajevo a few years ago. I just assumed the passenger didn’t have the correct documents to enter the EU.

InterIgnis · 31/08/2025 21:32

Overseas U.S military personnel that have been court martialled and sentenced to imprisonment are transferred to the U.S on commercial flights in this way.

Beachtastic · 31/08/2025 21:35

Marmite27 · 31/08/2025 21:20

It may prove difficult though, seeing as though she’s dead…

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So she is!!!!!!!! I'm not very good at celebrities 🤡

Needtosoundoffandbreathe · 31/08/2025 21:53

MaidOfSteel · 30/08/2025 19:49

Probably just refused entry to the UK on arrival. They get taken into the aircraft to make sure they’re on it, I imagine.

I agree this is the most likely explanation.

Notashamed13 · 31/08/2025 21:54

Not rtft but he was obviously a "wrongun" but trust me there would have been so many risk assessments done to determine the mode and how he travelled so as to avoid a risk to the public...could have been military police.

OneMintWasp · 31/08/2025 21:58

Trendyname · 31/08/2025 18:21

Do Brits need visa to enter Germany?

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If you're there for over 90 days in 180 as a tourist you do and if you're there to study or work you need the appropriate visa for that too. I've just come back from Germany and armed police stopped us on the trains a couple of times as we crossed the border back in from other countries to inspect passports. They're quite hot on it!

Likaom · 31/08/2025 22:03

German police are normally armed. He didn’t have the right documents (passport/visa) or was previously banned from Germany. I would’t worry, it happens all the time. If he was an actual threat, they would’ve detained him.

OneMintWasp · 31/08/2025 22:04

Gonners · 31/08/2025 20:50

@OneMintWasp That reminds me ... I worked for the army in Hannover for a couple of years in the mid-70s and one Easter weekend decided to go to Berlin, on the train. I got a terrific bollocking when I got back, on the grounds that the visa in my passport (which was obviously inspected by the East German border guards four times, in and out) showed that I was an employee of the British Forces.

I was duly contrite but thought it best not to mention that I had also been on a tour of East Berlin, so they'd had six looks at it! 😆

Ha ha oops! This was a similar time and I know she spent time in West Berlin and Hanover working for the British forces. She got herself into some scrapes over the years in Cyprus as well. Such a character. Sounds like you all had fun and survived with some tales to tell!

Shimmyshimmycocobop · 31/08/2025 22:05

It will have been an extradition, happened to friends of mine caught with a small amount of cannabis by US border agents getting off a cruise ship. We were young, working on cruise ships and my friend had been given a small amount which she forgotwas in her pocket. She was taken on to a flight back to the UK in hand cuffs which was very embarrassing but then left by the police as she was no threat to anyone.
Thankfully I wasn't with her as I would have been sent back too.

OneMintWasp · 31/08/2025 22:07

Beachtastic · 31/08/2025 20:32

This needs to be made into a movie starring Maggie Smith!

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Honestly thats a tame one...her life could be a movie. Absolutely loved the woman!

samarrange · 31/08/2025 22:12

HollyGolightly4 · 31/08/2025 21:19

His passport has probably expired (6 months, or issued more than ten years ago) and easyJet let him fly. They don't care, they don't check properly, they get fined and the passenger has to fly home.

Check your passports folks.

I'm not sure what you mean by "6 months", but here are the passport rules for entering the Schengen area with a visa waiver (e.g., Brits):

On the day of entry, the passport must be less than 10 years old, as determined by the day of issue
On the expected day of exit, the passport must have 3 months of validity left, as determined by the day of expiry

There is no requirement for the passport to have 6 months left on the day of entry. This was widely misreported circa 2021 (including, for several months, on the UK government's own website, ugh) but it is now correctly reported here.

Entry requirements - Germany travel advice

FCDO travel advice for Germany. Includes safety and security, insurance, entry requirements and legal differences.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/germany/entry-requirements

MeandT · 01/09/2025 02:06

Notashamed13 · 31/08/2025 21:54

Not rtft but he was obviously a "wrongun" but trust me there would have been so many risk assessments done to determine the mode and how he travelled so as to avoid a risk to the public...could have been military police.

No idea why you'd assume he was a wrongun... far more likely it was a South African or similar working here, whose colleagues had gone 'yeah, totally, just grab cheao weekend flights to X German city, it's great'.

And they did. without realising they need a Schengen visa to enter EU, so got turned around at the passport desk.

Deeply unlikely to be anything sinister in these circumstances 🤷🏼‍♀️

Notashamed13 · 01/09/2025 02:07

MeandT · 01/09/2025 02:06

No idea why you'd assume he was a wrongun... far more likely it was a South African or similar working here, whose colleagues had gone 'yeah, totally, just grab cheao weekend flights to X German city, it's great'.

And they did. without realising they need a Schengen visa to enter EU, so got turned around at the passport desk.

Deeply unlikely to be anything sinister in these circumstances 🤷🏼‍♀️

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Meh. I'm allowed an opinion. And i'm allowed to assume.

HollyGolightly4 · 01/09/2025 06:09

samarrange · 31/08/2025 22:12

I'm not sure what you mean by "6 months", but here are the passport rules for entering the Schengen area with a visa waiver (e.g., Brits):

On the day of entry, the passport must be less than 10 years old, as determined by the day of issue
On the expected day of exit, the passport must have 3 months of validity left, as determined by the day of expiry

There is no requirement for the passport to have 6 months left on the day of entry. This was widely misreported circa 2021 (including, for several months, on the UK government's own website, ugh) but it is now correctly reported here.

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The guidance is clearly not very helpful, as pointed out that it was reported wrongly!

I was told it was 6 months.

The issue date must be within 10 years.

I've had a traumatic experience recently in case you were thinking I sound bitter 🤣

LoremIpsumCici · 01/09/2025 06:15

MirrorMirrorontheFall · 30/08/2025 19:51

It sounds like a deportation. They’ll have escorted him on board to make sure he actually got on the flight. After that point, he’s not their problem, hence not being met at the other end or accompanied during the flight. Presumably there was no reason to suspect he was a safety risk, so no need for them to stay with him. They’ll have been armed because police officers in airports are routinely armed.

^This
British + illegal migrant is a thing.

LoremIpsumCici · 01/09/2025 06:18

MeandT · 01/09/2025 02:06

No idea why you'd assume he was a wrongun... far more likely it was a South African or similar working here, whose colleagues had gone 'yeah, totally, just grab cheao weekend flights to X German city, it's great'.

And they did. without realising they need a Schengen visa to enter EU, so got turned around at the passport desk.

Deeply unlikely to be anything sinister in these circumstances 🤷🏼‍♀️

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If this were the case, he would have been denied from boarding any flight from UK to EU. It is highly unlikely he would get to Germany and then be caught.

HollyGolightly4 · 01/09/2025 06:29

Not necessarily with easyJet @LoremIpsumCici

MeandT · 01/09/2025 07:03

HollyGolightly4 · 01/09/2025 06:29

Not necessarily with easyJet @LoremIpsumCici

Or any other airline, frankly. They'll happily sell you the ticket from one airport gate to the other...what happens when you get to passport control is down to each individual traveller having their act together!

LoremIpsumCici · 01/09/2025 07:46

@HollyGolightly4 and @MeandT
That is very rare these days as a change in the law means that if any airline brings a passenger that is rejected at the destination border control, they then have to bear the cost of deporting them back to their origin. In addition, if they are too lax in checking passports & visas before boarding they can be fined by the government affected.