Manchester Airport under scrutiny after boy, 11, boards plane to Rome without ticket, passport

Manchester Airport in Britain is facing a security probe after an 11-year-old boy managed to slip through security and fly to Rome without a passport or ticket.

Three days before the opening of the London Olympic Games, Liam Corcoran successfully boarded a Jet2.com flight from Manchester Airport in northwest England to the Italian capital on Tuesday, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported.

British Transport Secretary Justine Greening announced several high-level investigations into how the schoolboy evaded five security checks to board flight LS791. 

Corcoran had reportedly traveled less than three miles to the airport from a nearby shopping center.

Security staff scanned the boy but did not notice that he had neither a passport nor a boarding pass, the Manchester Evening News reported.

The Telegraph wrote that the Jet2 captain was alerted to his extra passenger when vacationers raised concerns during the flight.

Corcoran was reportedly kept on board the plane at Fiumicino Airport then flown the 1,500 miles back to Britain and reunited with his family.

According to Agence France-Presse, several Manchester Airport and Jet2.com staff have been suspended during the investigation.

"This extremely serious matter is now being urgently investigated by officials from the airport and airline," a Manchester Airport spokesman said.

"It is clear that documentation has not been checked correctly at security and the boarding gate. The boy went through full security screening so the safety of passengers and the aircraft was never compromised."

AFP noted security concerns surrounding the Games had been under the spotlight, with Britain forced to deploy 4,700 troops to guard venues following the failure of a private security contractor to provide adequate guard numbers.

More from GlobalPost: Rich People have a dirty little secret…