Missing a flight, losing a suitcase... Even a few hours spent at the airport can test one's patience. Yet, there was one man who lived there for a full 18 years. The story of Iranian refugee Mehran Karimi Nasseri is both heart-wrenching and suffocating. But how on earth does someone end up stuck at an airport for 18 years?
Let's delve into the story of this man, which even inspired the movie 'Terminal'...
After returning to his homeland, Nasseri was stripped of his citizenship for joining the rebellions against the Shah regime. Expelled from Iran, Nasseri sought asylum in various countries. Eventually, he was granted refugee status in Belgium by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan when he decided to head to England in 1986. However, his journey took a turn for the worse when his bag was stolen, causing him to lose all his documents. The UK border police denied his entry into the country as he was unable to prove his identity.
Upon being sent back to France, he found himself in hot water there as well, as he was arrested due to lack of official paperwork. His only remaining option was to reside in Terminal 1 of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
The verdict of the courts was clear-cut; Nasseri could neither leave the airport nor enter the country. This peculiar ruling effectively rendered him a man living in a legal limbo. From 1992 onwards, the terminal became his home. With his suitcase, books, and diaries by his side, he managed to establish a semblance of a regular life. Airport staff would bring him food, engage in conversation, and even bestowed upon him the nickname 'Sir Alfred Mehran.'
Years later, French lawyer Christian Bourget found his stolen bag. However, according to Belgian law, a refugee who voluntarily leaves the country cannot return. In 1995, Belgian authorities amended the law, granting Nasseri the right to return. But he declined the offer, as his heart was still set on going to England.
His stubbornness was a continuation of the fate that had shaped his life. The terminal was his home, his suitcase his bed, and the passengers his neighbors.
Steven Spielberg was so moved by this extraordinary life story that he directed the movie 'The Terminal'. In the film, Tom Hanks portrayed a character inspired by Nasseri. Spielberg purchased the rights to Nasseri's story for approximately $250,000. Nasseri, on the other hand, greeted the film with great enthusiasm, even promoting it by walking around the terminal with posters.
Nasseri resided in Terminal 1 until he was hospitalized in 2006. After being discharged, he was placed in a help center in Paris for a while. Years later, in the twilight of his life, he returned to the airport. In 2022, he breathed his last in the terminal that was once his home.