Source: Screengrab/Facebook

THE RYANAIR PASSENGER who ran across the tarmac at Madrid’s main international airport is facing a hefty fine.

Footage published today shows the Bolivian national sprinting across the edge of the runway to try to board the plane.

The footage was originally posted on Facebook by a Spanish trade union.

Initial reports claiming he missed his flight were incorrect and he did manage to get on the plane and reach his destination.

A Civil Guard spokesman in Gran Canaria, the plane’s destination, said the man was stopped when he reached the holiday island.

The spokesman said: “He breached a range of security measures when he saw he was going to miss his flight and, despite the efforts of ground personnel to stop him, managed to run across the tarmac as the plane was preparing to taxi out to the runway.”

A source close to the case said he was a Bolivian national who was believed to have been travelling alone.

“He wasn’t arrested but he was identified so his name could be passed to Guardia Civil officers in Madrid for them to take the appropriate action.

They didn’t manage to identify him in Madrid. The pilot presumably agreed to let him on board because he had a boarding pass but he was lucky not to have been stopped in Madrid because we’re currently on terror alert level four and he could easily have been mistaken for a terrorist with all the consequences that come with that.

“The man in question is now likely to face a very high fine,” the source said.

In a statement, Ryanair said: “Since this video relates to a security breach at Madrid Airport, it’s a matter for Madrid Airport Police.”

A spokesperson for the Spanish Airports Authority (AENA) said the unnamed offender had broken a fire alarm in an apparent diversionary tactic.

He said: “The incident happened around 9pm on Friday. We called the Civil Guard in after he breached security and broke a fire alarm before reaching the tarmac.

“We don’t know what happened after the Civil Guard were called. The only person who can answer the question of why he acted like he did is the man. It is definitely a first for this airport.”