Trapped In An Airport For 18 Years, One Man Found Strange Ways To Survive

Arriving in a much-used and functional terminal at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, passengers flit past the usual array of fast-food outlets, newsagents and electronics stores. In a sea of uncomfortable, metal seats, one old-fashioned, plush bench stands out — the perfect place, perhaps, to grab a moment’s peace. But this spot is already occupied.

A lonely figure

For years, a lonely figure known as Sir Alfred spent his days and nights inside Terminal One of the French airport, eventually inspiring a Hollywood movie about his strange life. But who exactly was this mysterious man? And how did he wind up making his home in such an unlikely place?

The Terminal

In 2004 the Steven Spielberg movie The Terminal was released, telling the story of a man trapped in purgatory at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport. But few know that this seemingly tall tale was actually based on true events. Sir Alfred’s journey, though, was even stranger than that of his fictional counterpart.

Rendered stateless

But that’s not to say that Sir Alfred had nothing in common with Viktor Navorski, the protagonist of Spielberg’s movie. After all, both men had lives that were thrown into disarray when they were rendered stateless by circumstances beyond their control. And while the fictional scenario concluded in less than a year, the real drama that played out in Charles de Gaulle Airport lasted far longer.

A right to nationality

So how exactly does a person become stateless — and what does that mean? According to the 1948 amendment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, every citizen of the world has the “right to a nationality.” But that hasn’t stopped millions of people from falling through the cracks over the years.