This is a list of people notable for living for periods of more than a week in airports. The reasons are usually protesting, asylum seeking or having difficulty with visas and passports.
This is a list of notable people who have been living in airports around the world.
| Name | Profile | Original nationality | Location | data-sort-type="isoDate" | Period | data-sort-type="number" | Duration | Reason for stay | Reason for leaving |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mehran Karimi Nasseri | Iranian[1] | Charles de Gaulle Airport, France | 6518–6548 days (17.84–17.93 years) Up to 60 days on the 2nd stay. | Originally from Iran, was given refugee status by UNHCR and claimed that his documents were stolen in Paris en route to the United Kingdom. He was refused entry and declined new papers due to changing his own name and place of birth.[2] He became homeless again in 2022 and died later that year of a heart attack. | Hospitalised, stayed in hotel by Red Cross and was then moved to Paris by Emmaus. For his second stay, he died of a heart attack.[3] | ||||
| Denis Luiz de Souza | Brazilian | São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil[4] | data-sort-value="2000" | Circa 2000–Present | days (approximately years; exact dates unknown) | Had frequent conflicts at home, deciding to take refuge in the airport. Seems to suffer from psychological problems. | Still lives in the airport, but comes out occasionally. | ||
| Zahra Kamalfar | Iranian | Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russia[5] | data-sort-value="2006-06-01" | May–June 2006 – 15 March 2007 | 258–318 days | Fleeing persecution in Iran with her family using falsified documents to seek asylum in Canada via Germany and Russia. The documents were rejected by German authorities and she was returned to Russia. | Asylum was granted by the Canadian government. | ||
| Tetsuya Abo | Japanese | Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Russia | 29 May 2015 – 9 August 2015 | days | Claimed to be a journalist, and that his seeking asylum was politically motivated. Hoped to receive Russian citizenship. | Denied political asylum in Russia.[6] | |||
| Arlen Khadaa | Kyrgyzstani-Soviet | Manas International Airport, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan[7] | data-sort-value="2019-01-19" | January 19, 2019 – October 8, 2020[8] | days | Lost Soviet citizenship at dissolution of the USSR. Was rejected Norwegian residence permit and citizenship and returned to Kyrgyzstan.[9] | Sent to Norway October 8 of 2020. | ||
| Mohammed Al Bahish | Iraqi-Palestinian | Almaty International Airport, Almaty, Kazakhstan[10] | data-sort-value="2013-03-20" | March 20 – August 17, 2013 | days | In Kazakhstan, while registering intention to marry, his refugee travel documents went missing, and his Kazakh and Emirati visas expired. Later flew to Turkey in the hope of renewing his Kazakh visa, but was turned back at the border. Subsequently, flown back and forth four times and refused entry by either country. | Allowed to go to a UNHCR refugee transit centre in Timișoara, Romania, and later granted asylum in Finland.[11] | ||
| Hiroshi Nohara | Japanese | Mexico City International Airport, Mexico[12] | data-sort-value="2008-09-02" | 2 September – 28 December 2008[13] | days | Declined to give his reasons. | Left with a woman identified as Oyuki. | ||
| Ahmed Kannan | Palestinian | Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Sepang, Malaysia[14] | data-sort-value="2013-05-21" | 21 May – 13 July 2013[15] | days | Arrived without passport because it had been confiscated in Turkey. After having overstayed during May 2013 in Malaysia, he had flown from Kuala Lumpur to Turkey, but without a Turkish visa. His passport was seized by Turkish immigration and he was deported back to Kuala Lumpur. | Released on 13 July 2013. Granted 30-days Malaysian visa on humanitarian grounds. | ||
| Yvonne Paul | Dutch | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands | data-sort-value="1967-10" | 11th October 1967 – 5 January 1968[16] | 86 days | Previously lived in the USA, and had been deported as a result of expiring immigration documents. Set up a temporary base in Schiphol Airport whilst attempting to get new immigration documents. | After a formal request to vacate was ignored, arrested on the 5th of January 1968. | ||
| Feng Zhenghu | Chinese | Narita International Airport, Japan[17] | data-sort-value="2009-11-09" | 9 November 2009 – 3 February 2010 | days | Began protesting after being refused re-entry into China. | Visited by several Chinese diplomats and entered Japan with anticipation of being allowed to re-enter Shanghai by mid-February. This later occurred, although he is now under house-arrest at his Shanghai apartment.[18] [19] | ||
| Khasan Aman Ando, Gulistan Issa Shakho, and four children | Syrian | Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Russia[20] | 10 September 2015 – 20 November 2015[21] | days | Family of Kurdish refugees fleeing the Iraqi Civil War who intended to seek asylum in Russia. After being initially denied entry into the country, they remained at the airport. | The family was moved to a facility for temporary accommodation while they await further processing of their asylum application. | |||
| Edward Snowden | American | Sheremetyevo International Airport, Moscow, Russia[22] | data-sort-value="2013-06-23" | 23 June – 1 August 2013[23] | days | While on a flight to Moscow-Sheremetyevo, authorities revoked Snowden's U.S. passport. | Granted temporary asylum in Russia.[24] Later received Russian citizenship.[25] | ||
| Iyad El-Baghdadi | Palestinian | Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia[26] | data-sort-value="2014-05-13" | 13 May – 8 June 2014[27] | days | Deported to Malaysia by the UAE, not wanting to be detained there indefinitely without formal charges. Was then denied entry at the Kuala Lumpur airport because he had no official documents. | The Palestinian Embassy issued him a passport, and officials in Kuala Lumpur admitted him into the country. He then left Malaysia for Norway, applying for political asylum. | ||
| Gary Peter Austin | British | Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Philippines[28] | data-sort-value="2012-12-19" | 19 December 2012 – 11 January 2013[29] | days | Missed his flight. He had run out of money to book a new flight.[30] | Donors paid for a ticket back to the United Kingdom.[31] | ||
| Heinz Müller | German | Viracopos-Campinas International Airport, Brazil | data-sort-value="2009-10-16" | October 16–29, 2009[32] | days | Flew to Rio de Janeiro to meet with a woman he met online, who did not show up. Ran out of money and ended up in Campinas. | Taken to a hospital for a psychological evaluation. | ||
| Hassan Al Kontar | Syrian | Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Sepang, Malaysia[33] | data-sort-value="2018-03-07" | 7 March – 1 October 2018 | days | Deported to Malaysia in 2017 after overstaying in the UAE for 5 years. During his stay, he saved money to buy a plane ticket to Ecuador, but was turned away by Turkish Airlines staff for unexplained reasons. He then attempted to fly to Cambodia after overstaying his Malaysian visa, but was denied entry and deported. | Briefly detained by Malaysian immigration authorities for two months until his asylum request was granted by the Canadian government.[34] | ||
| Liu Xinglian and Yan Kefen | Chinese | Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan | data-sort-value="2018-09-27" | 27 September 2018 – 30 January 2019 | days | Were trying to seek asylum in Taiwan during their transit, but they were refused for entry while their asylum applications were being considered by Taiwanese authorities.[35] [36] | Allowed to enter Taiwan on 30 January 2019.[37] | ||
| Eissa Muhamad | Nigerien | Addis Ababa, International Airport[38] | November 2018 – August 2019[39] | days (approximately; exact dates unknown) | Expelled from Israel after being caught without proper documents. On his way back to Niger, he transited to Addis Ababa. Niger refused to let him in, claiming the temporary travel documents Israel gave him were fake. He got stuck in Addis Ababa, where neither Israel nor Niger would take him back. | Now living in Senegal. | |||
| Bayram Tepeli | Turkish | Atatürk Airport[40] | 1991–2019 | days (approximately 27 years; exact dates unknown) | Ran away from family problems and worked at the airport for a while. Eventually became sick, and could not work anymore, but decided to keep living at the airport. | Airport closed for commercial passenger travel in 2019, so he had to leave. Now lives in Sabiha Gökçen Airport.[41] | |||
| Bayram Tepeli | Turkish | Sabiha Gokcen Airport | 2019 – Present | 1825 days | Ran away from family problems and worked at the airport for a while. Eventually became sick, and could not work anymore, but decided to keep living at the Ataturk Airport. After airport closed for commercial passenger travel in 2019, he had been living in Sabiha Gokcen Airport. | Still living in airport. | |||
| Wei Jianguo | Chinese | Beijing Capital International Airport[42] | days (approximately years; exact dates unknown) | Wanted to smoke and drink without his family bothering him. Also had difficulty finding work. | Still lives in the airport, but comes out occasionally. | ||||
| Bahareh Zare Bahari | Iranian | Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila[43] | 17 October – 6 November 2019[44] [45] | days | Detained upon return to the Philippines from a trip to Dubai after Iran sought her via an Interpol Red Notice[46] | The Philippine justice department recognized Bahari as a refugee on 6 November. | |||
| Edgard Ziebart | German | Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi[47] | 18 March – 12 May 2020[48] | days | Prevented from embarking on the last leg of his flight when India imposed restrictions amid the coronavirus crisis. Refused German Embassy evacuation flights, fearing prosecution for criminal offences. | Left on a KLM repatriation flight to Amsterdam. | |||
| Aditya Singh | Indian | O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, United States[49] | 19 October 2020 – 16 January 2021 | days | Decided not to take his connecting flight to India due to fear of COVID-19.[50] | Arrested in January 2021, cleared of charges in late 2021. | |||
| Déo Hasabumutima | Burundian | Istanbul Airport, Istanbul, Turkey[51] | 16 June 2021 – 7 July 2021 | 21 days | On a transit from Niamey, Niger, he was refused boarding on a flight to Toronto, Canada because his Burundian passport was expired, despite possessing a valid Canadian permanent resident card. | He received assistance from the Canadian authorities.[52] | |||
| Lisa Lee Wink | Canadian | Cancún International Airport, Cancún, Mexico | 13 April 2023 – 15 May 2023 | 32 days | Unknown[53] | Deported for aggressive behavior against other passengers.[54] | |||
| Arwa Almsrawi | Syrian | Istanbul Airport, Istanbul, Turkey | February 2024 - September 2024 | 240 days (approximately 8 months; exact dates unknown) | Prevented from embarking on a flight to Toronto after landing in Turkey due to US authorities alleging she was on the American No Fly List. The Canadian Government later revoked her refugee status.[55] | Given temporary Turkish residence.[56] |