Belarusians with an infant lost their passports on the way to Istanbul

Last night, Threads exploded with the story of Alexander, who was reporting live from Istanbul Airport. He flew there with his wife, her mother, and their 9-month-old son. After landing, it turned out that the man and the infant did not have passports, which meant the tourists might not be allowed into the country. The family realized that the documents were lost somewhere on board, but they couldn't find them quickly. Onliner.by contacted Alexander and found out the details.

"We flew from Minsk to Istanbul. And on the plane, my passport and my son's (9 months old) passport were lost; a search of the plane yielded nothing (although I suspect they didn't look properly). Due to the lack of passports, we are being sent back home on a return flight tomorrow," the distraught man wrote late last night on social media.

Threads users actively reacted to the difficult situation and, based on their own experience, began to advise where to look for the documents:

— The most obvious options are personal belongings and pockets (check everything carefully: maybe a jacket, a bag pocket, etc.) and on the plane – the seatback pocket.

— One person wrote that they accidentally tucked their passport into their sleeve instead of a pocket. Anything can happen, check.

— You might have left your passport when going through security at the airport, when all your belongings are placed on the conveyor belt. I had that happen with my daughter. And the passport was with the customs officers — she left it in the tray.

— When you fly to Istanbul, local cleaners hand over found items to Lost&Found. I once forgot my lecture notebook like that. I remembered it 3 months later. I wrote them a letter, they replied that they had the notebook. And I picked it up when I flew to Istanbul again.

Just a couple of hours after the publication, an update appeared from the author of the post.

It turned out that the situation was resolved: "The passports were found in the seatback pocket where a person was sitting. Belavia representatives will hand them over to the person tomorrow. Everyone can go home."

Journalists contacted Alexander to find out the details. The man, as expected, attributed the loss to poor memory – something that can happen to anyone.

"I was carrying bags and the child, probably put them there (in the seatback pocket) to free my hands, and then didn't check. In general, I usually always put documents under lock and key," explained the young father.

Immediately after it became clear that the passports were lost, the man started searching for them at Istanbul Airport. According to him, he first approached the Belavia counter.

— They called and asked to check my seat. I went there twice: first by myself, then I found some airport worker who vaguely understood me in English, and he also went with me so they would look. At that counter, someone was called and again they said there was nothing, — says Alexander. — I understand that they were found by a passenger who was flying in my seat [on the return flight], because we were informed about the find before the plane even landed. The police called. The consul, with whom we are in contact and who helps us a lot, apparently also contacted the airline.

The family spent the night in specially equipped airport facilities – an isolation room for inadmissible passengers, a temporary zone for those who had problems with documents. Alexander was taken to the men's room, while his wife with the child and her mother were in a separate one.

The room had a crib and even the possibility to lay out a mat. However, the couple was not allowed to retrieve their luggage.

Most likely, the story will have a happy ending today – and the tourists will be able to pass passport control.

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