A 21-year-old woman bypassed security checkpoints and entered a restricted area at Hong Kong’s International Airport on Tuesday despite not having a boarding pass.
A police investigation revealed that the woman had entered the restricted zone at 11pm through the north entrance, making her way through the departure hall gate while security personnel in the area were reportedly dealing with another passenger’s documents. She made her way past further security checkpoints and the e-Channel service area in under two minutes, Ming Pao reported.
A member of airport security spotted her near gate 520 thinking she was lost, and called the police after she was unable to produce a boarding pass. Police on the scene decided not to press charges.
The woman was revealed to be a Tai Po resident. Her family issued a statement saying that she left home stating her desire to fly to Korea to see Korean celebrities, reported Apple Daily.
Security breach
Former Legislative Council member Ronny Tong Ka-wah told the newspaper that the incident exposed holes in the airport security system.
“If someone can pass through the gates without a boarding pass and can even possibly board a plane, it certainly is a very worrying situation”.
Police are currently investigating the motives for her actions. An airport authority spokesman stated that a report on the incident was filed at 1am on Wednesday.
