Woman flies to Gibraltar by mistake

Passenger was due to fly from Manchester to Belfast

Gibraltar’s eponymous Rock (Getty Images)

A woman managed to catch the wrong flight, ending up in Gibraltar instead of Belfast.

Gemma Cargin, 25, only realised her mistake after waking up from a nap on the plane and asking whether they were landing soon.

“They told me we were landing in an hour and 15 minutes – and I said: 'Is this flight not going to Belfast?'” she told the BBC.

”They told me it was going to Gibraltar. I said: 'Guys, I'm on the wrong flight'.”

Ms Cargin, a teacher who lives in Manchester, had been due to fly from Manchester Airport to Belfast on an easyJet service on 30 May.

Originally from Banbridge, County Down, she regularly flies back and forth to visit family.

She headed to what she thought was her gate on Sunday morning, where there was no screen displaying the flight information.

Her boarding pass was scanned by easyJet staff, but no one noticed she was getting on the wrong flight.

Once onboard, she fell asleep for what she thought would be a 40-minute journey – only to discover her mistake once she awoke.

“I was shocked, I was worried, I was wondering how I was going to get home, was I going to be left in Gibraltar?” said Ms Cargin.

”Also, I was thinking about my parents because I knew they were picking me up and that they had no idea where I was.“

Her parents were erroneously informed that she had flown to Alicante in Spain, and it wasn’t until the flight landed in Gibraltar that Ms Cargin was able to contact them and set them straight.

After landing, Ms Cargin was able to get off the plane and take a selfie with the Rock of Gibraltar in the background before heading back to Manchester on the same aircraft.

Twelve hours later than planned, she arrived in Belfast.

An easyJet spokesperson said: ”We are investigating with the airport and our ground handling partner at Manchester how Ms Cargin was able travel on the wrong flight.

“As soon as the mistake was realised, it was arranged for them to fly back to Manchester and on to Belfast, their original intended destination.

”Ms Cargin was looked after by our team throughout and provided with refreshments.

“We would like to sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

It’s not the first time a passenger has ended up in the incorrect location.

In October 2020, a woman flew to Ukraine instead of Spain after boarding the wrong Ryanair flight.

Falling asleep shortly after take-off from London Stansted, 30-year-old Inka Fileva, who lives in London, didn’t realise she was heading to the wrong country until the plane touched down.

It was only when she saw the airport signs that it clicked into place.

“I got so scared as the police started approaching me, no one spoke English and they kept asking for my passport,” she said at the time.

“I don’t understand how my ticket got scanned and passed and how I came here without a visa.”

Eventually, she was rebooked on a flight back to London the following day, with an onwards ticket for Valencia also secured.