Air Canada Flight 018 Stowaway incident

Air Canada Flight 018 Stowaway incident was a stowaway incident that occurred on October 29, 2010, when a young man of Chinese descent illegally boarded Air Canada flight 018 from Hong Kong to Vancouver. The young male passenger was seen wearing a particular silicone mask in order to impersonate a white elderly person. The incident caused the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to issue a Terror Alert. Because of privacy concerns the CBSA and the Immigration Ministry would not reveal the man's name, or nationality. He was given the name Mr. X.
Investigation
After the flight arrived in Vancouver, the Canadian Border Services Agency investigated further into the incident where they noticed the difference between the passenger's appearance before and after using the airlines' facilities. The passenger was seen exiting the bathroom with no silicone mask, which ultimately exposed his original identity. His deception was discovered when he was observed transforming from an "old man" (albeit with uncharacteristically young hands) to a young man after a visit to a lavatory.
The passenger's identity was not disclosed to the public. Despite this, Vancouver Officials announced that he was charged with "an unbelievable case of concealment." The incident caused the governments in Hong Kong and Canada to review security procedures.
Arrests
Chau Pak-kin, 26, and Chan Wing-chung, 27 were accused of helping stowaways board flights to Canada. It was alleged that the two allowed seven passengers without the proper credentials to board flights from Hong Kong to Canada. In the Air Canada Flight 018 Stowaway Incident the 20 year old stowaway was referred to as Mr. X in the District Court. It was alleged that Mr. X used the identity of a US Citizen (whose date of birth is 1955) by obtaining the boarding pass through a "boarding pass swap".
In a Hong Kong court, Chau Pak-kin was found guilty in the conspiracy to smuggle passengers. Eight other people were also arrested in connection with the incident.
Asylum for stowaway
After being discovered, Mr. X claimed asylum and therefore could not be prosecuted for illegally entering Canada. Mr. X was released on bail to a Chinese-Canadian person with ties to his family.<ref name"SCMP"/><ref name"The Telegraph"/>

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu