Top 10 Shocking Heathrow: Britain's Busiest Airport Moments

Bob from immigration control has to step out of his comfort zone to deal with an “unwell” passenger, who’s refusing to leave his plane. It’s not the forgeries he usually handles, but to resolve the situation all the passenger’s documents need to be brought to them. When Bob arrives, he finds out that the passenger isn’t unwell at all, but is actually drunk – and in the UK, it’s against the law to be drunk on a plane. However, there’s still another twist to this story: the passenger is on some strong painkillers for a chronic back condition. His painkillers have mixed with the alcohol, making him seem like he’s had a lot more to drink.

While patrolling Heathrow, officers Dave and Terry get a call that a wanted man is about to land, and they need to head him off at the gate. This requires rushing through the corridors after a last-minute change means the plane arrives a 20-minute walk from where it was meant to be. When they finally get there, after commandeering a buggy, they find out the fugitive is wanted for attempted arson. Luckily, they’re able to apprehend him without too much trouble, though he maintains that he hasn’t done anything. Regardless, his passport was flagged, so he finds himself in custody in the airport’s holding cells.

News of a medical emergency on an incoming flight means Terminal 3’s Passenger Experience Manager, Harry, has to pull out all the stops. The passenger is reporting difficulty breathing, and they have to get paramedics to the scene for when the plane arrives. When it lands, they find out the woman was struggling with a chest infection before boarding and has some symptoms of sepsis. Sepsis, or blood poisoning, is a dangerous condition where the immune system over-compensates and starts to attack the body. Thankfully, paramedics are able to get the passenger to the nearest hospital.

Sniffer dogs are the bane of criminal organisations worldwide, and Cole, a springer spaniel trained to search out Class A drugs, is no exception. Cole is presented with packages and parcels coming from Amsterdam and reacts to one in particular, leading border force agents to open it and see what’s inside. They found a bag of white powder and initially suspect it might be heroin or cocaine, both things Cole is trained to find. Unfortunately, the package turns out to be powdered amphetamines; still drugs, but most of them are Class Bs, so Cole doesn’t get his tennis ball reward in the end.

A plane bound for New York has to turn around immediately after reporting a major engine failure. The airport is placed on lockdown as personnel from around the area have to get to the runway to meet the plane, preparing for the worst. Things get tense as police, paramedics and firefighters have nothing to do but wait, while all other flights in and out are put on hold. The plane is forced to do a heavy landing, which is risky because it means the plane hits the ground with more force than it’s supposed to, and with only one engine working. It’s a relief when the landing succeeds, and the passengers begin to safely disembark.

Cole is back, and this time he’s hoping that he’ll find something he’s trained to. He gets off to a shaky start when he unearths a teabag inside a letter, but things take a turn for the better when Cole draws attention to a large and suspicious package. Hidden inside a “Star Wars” Lego set, border patrol officers find a vacuum-sealed bag of cannabis they suspect is heading to a supplier before it hits the streets. But once again, it’s not technically a drug Cole is trained to find. Despite this, he still gets praise for preventing more illegal substances from entering the UK.

But drugs aren’t the only thing dogs are used to sniff out. Henry is trained to find large quantities of cash that might be the profits from illegal operations. High amounts of money have to be declared, so when someone has a few thousand pounds in cash that they haven’t told border control about, it’s an immediate red flag. Henry finds an envelope full of money which the passenger says is only $1500, but when it’s counted it turns out to be $5500. In the end, though, the passenger is so distressed at the prospect of having the money seized that they believe it’s his and let him through.

In immigration control, officers are trained in modern slavery and learn the signs of sex trafficking so that they can identify and then help the victims. Two passengers coming from Romania, a man and a woman, become suspects because of a two-week trip with a one-way ticket; they say they’ve come to the UK to work in a carwash. They take them to an interview room and have an interpreter ask lots of questions to try and find out whether the woman is being trafficked, but in the end, they stick to their story and the border agents can’t find any proof that something is amiss.

News that a passenger has died mid-flight reaches Heathrow. The flight from Bangladesh had to stop in Azerbaijan after the passenger sadly passed away from pneumonia, but the unpleasantness doesn’t stop there. The Azerbaijani authorities didn’t issue a death certificate and the deceased passenger was placed in the hold, so they have a body without any paperwork. As the incident is investigated the passengers aren’t allowed to leave. It’s a stroke of luck that a doctor was on board, and he’s able to explain to the authorities exactly what happened and then identify the body formally. This means the situation is resolved much faster and the body can be released to the family.

It’s all hands on deck when there’s a medical emergency in the departure lounge: a passenger is having a heart attack, so time is of the essence to save his life. Airport staff arrive to begin compressions and use the defibrillator to administer electric shocks while the paramedics are still en route. It’s their swift intervention that enables them to restart the passenger’s heart just as the ambulance gets to the scene. They take over, but it’s thanks to Heathrow’s well-trained staff that the passenger survives the ordeal and is taken to hospital where he can make a full recovery.