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The Unbelievable Life of Mehran Karimi Nasseri: The Man Who Lived in an Airport for 18 Years

For nearly two decades, Mehran Karimi Nasseri made an airport his home. Trapped in a bureaucratic nightmare, this alleged Iranian exile spent 18 years at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, inspiring the 2004 film The Terminal. But Nasseri’s real story is even more extraordinary than fiction.

Stranded in Legal Limbo

Mehran Karimi Nasseri’s journey to Charles de Gaulle Airport began long before 1988. Born in 1945 in Masjid-i-Sulaiman, Iran, his early life is shrouded in mystery. Over the years, Nasseri told conflicting stories about his background—sometimes claiming his mother was English, other times Swedish. While some sources suggest he had an idyllic childhood in Tehran, others report that he was cast out after learning he was illegitimate following his father’s death.

One verified detail is that Nasseri studied in England. However, his claim of being entirely rejected by his family contradicts records that show he lived with his brother during his time there. Upon returning to Iran in the 1970s, he allegedly became involved in student protests against the Shah, an action he later claimed led to his imprisonment, torture, and eventual exile—though no concrete evidence supports this.

By 1981, Nasseri was granted refugee status in Belgium, allowing him to travel through Europe. However, in the late 1980s, he lost his passport and refugee documents in Paris. Without proof of identity, British officials denied him entry at Heathrow Airport and sent him back to Charles de Gaulle. Stuck in legal limbo, Nasseri had nowhere to go. And so, Terminal One at Charles de Gaulle Airport became his home.

Mehran Karimi Nasseri, an Iranian exile, sitting on a bench inside Charles de Gaulle Airport, surrounded by his belongings. He lived in the airport for 18 years due to legal limbo and inspired the film The Terminal.

Life Inside an Airport

What started as days turned into months, then years. With no country willing to accept him and France unable to deport him, Nasseri simply adapted. His life became routine: waking up, washing in the airport bathrooms, hanging his clothes over his suitcase to dry, and eating McDonald’s meals—his favorites being breakfast sandwiches and Filet-O-Fish.

The airport staff grew accustomed to his presence, affectionately nicknaming him “Sir Alfred” due to a clerical error in British immigration records. Employees gave him food vouchers, flight attendants offered him toiletries, and he spent his time reading newspapers, collecting soda caps, and writing in a journal that spanned over 1,000 pages.

Despite his unusual circumstances, Nasseri remained upbeat. In a 1999 interview with The New York Times, he reflected, “The airport is not bad. It is very active and functions every day. I see different passengers every week from all over the world.”

From Anonymous Exile to Global Sensation

As the years passed, Nasseri’s story began attracting worldwide attention. Documentaries were made about him, and in 2003, Steven Spielberg purchased the rights to his life story. The following year, The Terminal starring Tom Hanks hit theaters. While the film’s protagonist, Viktor Navorski, was trapped at JFK Airport due to a coup in his homeland, his story was a more sentimental and condensed version of Nasseri’s long ordeal.

Unlike Navorski, who longed to leave, Nasseri seemed content with his airport existence. He even resisted attempts to grant him freedom. In 1999, when French authorities offered him identity papers, he refused to sign them because they listed his nationality as Iranian and did not acknowledge his chosen name, “Sir Alfred.”

The Final Years

After 18 years, Nasseri’s stay at Charles de Gaulle finally ended in 2006 when he was hospitalized for an illness. He later used the money from Spielberg’s film deal to live in a hostel, but the airport remained ingrained in his identity.

In a poignant twist, Nasseri eventually returned to Charles de Gaulle. On November 12, 2022, he passed away in Terminal 2F from a heart attack.

Following his death, Charles de Gaulle Airport released a statement acknowledging that while staff had cared for him for many years, they wished he had found a real home, as he suffered from psychological issues.

Mehran Karimi Nasseri’s story is a testament to the strange intersections of bureaucracy, fate, and resilience. Though his life was marked by exile and uncertainty, he found an unexpected refuge in the heart of one of the world’s busiest airports.

 

Written by andrew

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