The Terminal Man Dies After Spending 18 Years in the Airport

Imagine spending nearly two decades living in an airport terminal, stuck in a perpetual state of limbo. Now, picture the shocking news that the terminal man, who became a fixture within the airport walls, has tragically passed away after 18 long years of calling it home.

While the airport is a short visit for many of us, this man had other plans for its usage. This is the Terminal Man’s story.

Who Is the Terminal Man?

Mehran Karimi Nasseri spent an astonishing 18 years living in an airport, where he ultimately passed away. Born in 1945 in Israel, Nasseri arrived in France in 1988 but lacked the required paperwork to stay. His unusual situation drew significant attention over the years.

Nasseri couldn’t return to Israel because he had been expelled without a passport, which led him to seek asylum in Europe.

What Is His Story?

Nasseri’s plan to seek asylum did not go as intended, resulting in his prolonged stay at the French airport. Although he was granted the right to seek refuge in Belgium, he claimed his luggage with official documents was stolen at a train station in Paris.

Arrested by French police, Nasseri couldn’t be deported due to his lack of official documents and ended up at Charles de Gaulle Airport in August 1988. He remained a permanent fixture in Terminal 1 for the next 18 years, trapped in legal limbo.

What Happened to the Terminal Man?

When Nasseri’s refugee papers were finally approved in 1999, he was nervous about leaving and refused to sign them, continuing to live in the airport for several more years. He slept on a red plastic bench and became well-known among airport staff and passengers, earning the nickname “Lord Alfred.”

Nasseri chose to continue living in Charles de Gaulle Airport until 2006 when he was hospitalized and his sleeping area was removed. Afterward, he stayed in a shelter in Paris. However, in the weeks before his death, airport staff reported that he had returned to living in the airport.

His Passing and Legacy

Nasseri passed away from a heart attack in Terminal 2F of Charles de Gaulle Airport on November 12, 2022. This was despite attempts by medical staff to resuscitate him. His unusual story inspired the 2004 film The Terminal. In the movie, Tom Hanks portrays a man trapped in an airport due to political issues.

While Hanks’ character is from a fictional Eastern European country and resides in JFK Airport, the central theme of living in an airport due to political limbo was drawn from Nasseri’s experience.

What do you think of the Terminal Man’s story?

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