Ever wondered how long you could spend at an airport? Well, one man set a staggering record by living in an airport for a mind-blowing 18 years, and his story doesn’t end there—he also died within the terminal walls.
Mehran Karimi Nasseri, likely born in 1945 in Israel, found himself in a peculiar and tragic situation later in his life.
In 1988, Nasseri arrived in France, only to find himself stranded without the necessary documents to legally stay. Complicating matters further, he couldn’t return to Israel as he had been expelled without a passport, prompting him to seek asylum in Europe.
This decision, however, led to an unintended and prolonged residence at a French airport.
After being granted refuge in Belgium, Nasseri claimed his luggage with all his official documents was stolen at a Parisian station. Subsequently arrested by French police who were unable to deport him due to his lack of documents, Nasseri was confined to Charles de Gaulle Airport starting in August 1988.
For the next 18 years, Nasseri became an iconic presence in Terminal 1, trapped in an endless bureaucratic limbo. Even when he was eventually cleared to leave in 1999, Nasseri chose to stay, unwilling to abandon the life he had come to know within the airport walls.
During his extended stay, Nasseri slept on a red plastic bench and became a well-known figure among airport staff and travelers alike, earning the affectionate nickname ‘Lord Alfred.’
