The most famous airport resident in the world passed away yesterday.
Exiled Iranian man living at Paris Airport dies of heart attack
Midday on Saturday, November 12, 2022, 76-year-old Merhan Karimi Nasseri died of a heart attack in Terminal 2F at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). Police and medical personnel treated him and tried to save him, but weren’t successful.
For context, Nasseri was originally from Iran, and lived at Charles de Gaulle Airport full-time for 18 years, from 1988 until 2006. The facts surrounding his initial reason for living at the airport are disputed, though:
- Nasseri claimed he was expelled from Iran in 1977 for protests against the Shah, and he claims he was awarded refugee status in Belgium; however, this was disputed, and an investigation found that he was never expelled from Iran
- Nasseri had a British mother, and decided to settle with her in 1988, but claimed that his papers were lost when his briefcase was stolen; an investigation revealed that he lied about this, and actually mailed his documents to Brussels while onboard a ferry to Britain
When Nasseri arrived in Britain in 1988, he was sent back to France for not having proper entry documents. He was initially arrested in France, but then released, as his entry to the airport was legal, and he had no country of origin to return to, which is why he started living at the airport.
He eventually became a bit of a celebrity at the airport, and staff referred to him as “Lord Alfred.” He had a red plastic bench surrounded by boxes of newspapers and magazines where he slept, and he was allowed to shower in staff facilities. He spent his time writing, reading, studying economics, and surveying passing travelers.
While efforts were made to allow Nasseri to leave, he ended up rejecting most opportunities:
- Attempts were made to have new documents issued in Belgium, but he would need to present himself in person, and he didn’t want to do this, as he wanted to go to the UK as originally planned
- Both France and Belgium offered Nasseri residency, but he refused to sign the papers, as they listed him as being Iranian (rather than British), and did not show his preferred name of “Sir Alfred Mehran”
He ended up leaving the airport in 2006 when he was hospitalized. He had apparently been living in various areas near Paris for the past 15 or so years, but in the past several weeks allegedly returned to living at the airport, as that’s where he was most comfortable.
“The Terminal” movie was loosely based on this
Many probably remember the 2004 Steven Spielberg film “The Terminal,” starring Tom Hanks. Spielberg had purchased the rights to Nasseri’s story for $250,000. While Nasseri’s exact story wasn’t used, the film was loosely based on it.
In “The Terminal,” Tom Hanks plays the role of Viktor Navorski, from the fictional country of Krakozhia. He arrived at New York JFK Airport, only to find out that there was a coup back home, and that the United States didn’t recognize the new government of Krakozhia. Therefore Navorski wasn’t allowed to enter the United States or return home, because his passport was no longer considered valid.
Admittedly this isn’t something that the average person would catch onto, but the plot of that was highly unrealistic, since the United States doesn’t have “sterile” international transit areas, unlike in other countries. If you’re in a departures terminal in the United States then you’re fully in the United States, and can also leave the airport. That’s different than in Europe, where the non-Schengen areas are indeed “sterile,” for those purposes.
Bottom line
The world’s most famous airport resident died yesterday of a heart attack at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Merhan Karimi Nasseri has an incredible story, and lived quite a fascinating life. It seems like on some level he lived the life he wanted to, as he chose to continue living at the airport even when he had the option to leave. Still, there’s something about this story that’s obviously very sad. May he rest in peace.
What do you make of this story?
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