• Got through five security checks without showing passport or boarding pass
• Thought to have slipped through after 'tail-gating' a family through Terminal 1
  
• Allowed to board flight to Rome without being stopped
• Gaffe discovered after worried passengers alert flight crew
  

By SAM ADAMS

An 11-year-old boy was allowed to take a flight to Rome on his own without showing a passport or boarding pass, it has been revealed.

Staff at Manchester Airport have been suspended after Liam Corcoran was allowed to pass through five security checks before making his way on to the Jet2.com flight yesterday.

The youngster is thought to have passed through security in Terminal 1 after 'tail-gating' a family of holiday makers.

Liam Corcoran, 11, was allowed to board a Jet2 flight to Rome without being asked for his passport or boarding pass

A  spokesman for the airport described the security lapse as an 'extremely serious matter' and said it was being urgently investigated by officials from the airport and airline.

'It is clear that documentation has not been checked correctly at security and the boarding gate,' he said.

'The boy went through full security screening so the safety of passengers and the aircraft was never compromised.

We are now making preparations to ensure that his return to the UK is handled sensitively to avoid any distress.'

An full investigation is underway at Manchester Airport after the security lapse

Liam had slipped away from his mother during a shopping trip at Wythenshawe Civic Centre and made his own way to the airport, according to the Manchester Evening News.

It is thought that the youngster may have been missed after mingling with a family of holidaymakers as he went through security in Terminal 1 at the airport, the newspaper reports.

Security staff there scanned him but did not establish that he was unaccompanied and had no boarding card.

Journey's end: Liam managed to get to Fiumicino airport in Rome

The schoolboy, who is believed to have an interest in planes, was then allowed to board Jet2.com flight LS791 to Rome without being asked to show either a passport or a boarding card.

Liam was then missed by flight crew on board who failed to carry out an accurate passenger headcount. 

The gaffe was only revealed after concerned passengers alerted cabin crew members, and the captain radioed back to Manchester.

The crew alerted the captain who radioed back to Manchester.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2178565/Airport-lapse-Boy-1...