For years, travellers passing through Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport encountered a man who seemed to belong to the terminal as much as the passengers, flight boards and waiting areas around him. Mehran Karimi Nasseri lived in the airport for nearly 18 years, turning a small space near Terminal 2F into a place of routine, reflection and survival. His unusual circumstances began with a complicated immigration ordeal that left him unable to move freely between countries. Although Nasseri eventually left the terminal, his connection with the airport never fully disappeared. Decades later, the place that had once trapped him became the location where his extraordinary journey came to an end.
Mehran Karimi Nasseri’s journey from Iran in 1945 to an 18-year life inside a Paris airport
Born in 1945 in Iran’s Khuzestan province, Nasseri left his home country as a young man in search of his mother, beginning a journey that would take him across Europe.He spent time in Belgium before attempting to establish a life in other European countries. However, without the required immigration documents, he faced repeated difficulties. Authorities in countries including the UK, the Netherlands and Germany refused him permission to remain, forcing him to continue moving. Eventually, Nasseri reached France. Instead of finding a permanent place to settle, he became caught in a complicated legal situation that left him stranded at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
How Nasseri turned a Paris airport terminal into his everyday home
Inside the airport, Nasseri created a routine around the only environment available to him. His possessions were stored in luggage trolleys beside him, and a bench near the terminal became his main living space.He spent hours writing in notebooks, reading newspapers and observing the endless movement of travellers around him. While thousands of people passed through the airport every day on their way to different destinations, Nasseri remained in the same spot.Airport staff gradually became familiar with him. He was no longer just another passenger waiting for a flight. He became a permanent figure within the terminal’s daily life.His situation drew attention from journalists who were fascinated by the story of a man living in one of the world’s busiest airports. Nasseri often introduced himself as “Sir Alfred”, a name he adopted during his years there, as reported by South China Morning Post (SCMP).
PC: SCMP
How Nasseri’s airport home lasted even after his legal battle ended
Nasseri’s legal situation eventually changed. As reported by SCMP, in 1999, he was granted refugee status and received permission to remain in France.However, gaining the ability to leave the airport did not immediately end his unusual way of life. He continued staying at Charles de Gaulle until 2006, when health problems led to him being taken to hospital.After leaving the terminal, Nasseri spent time living in a hostel. His story remained unusual because the airport was not simply a place where he had been stuck. Over nearly two decades, it had become the centre of his daily existence.
A final return to Charles de Gaulle
Years after leaving the terminal, Nasseri returned to Charles de Gaulle Airport in the months before his death.According to airport officials, he died there from natural causes in November 2022. He was reportedly found with several thousand euros among his belongings.His life became associated with one extraordinary image: a man sitting in an airport while the world continued moving around him. But behind that image was a complex story of migration, legal uncertainty and a search for belonging.
