A man has been charged after he allegedly broke through a security cordon at Heathrow Airport, climbed aboard an empty British Airways plane and locked himself in the cockpit.
Louis Pedro Verdasca dos Santos Costa was remanded in custody after being charged with three offences, including unlawfully being on an aircraft.
The 38-year-old is accused of breaching security on the Heathrow perimeter before gaining access to the BA engineering base at Hatton Cross on Saturday.
He was spotted climbing into the cabin of an empty Boeing 747 aircraft, before fleeing to the flight deck and locking himself behind the high-security cockpit doors, it is claimed.
After struggling to breach the bomb and bulletproof doors, fire brigade officers were eventually able to break into the cockpit.
A source, who asked not to be named, said: "It was a very difficult and complex situation and in the end the fire brigade had to be called to the plane and carried out a long and very protracted operation to get into the cockpit from outside.
"It is a terrifying situation when you think about it. Here is a man who not only has managed to go air-side at one of the world's busiest airports but he has successfully got to a Boeing 747 jet liner and found it open and was able to climb aboard.
"Then he has got onto the flight deck and barricaded himself in using the plane's own anti-terrorist equipment."
Police confirmed there was an incident at Heathrow on a stationary aircraft, and said it is not believed to be terror-related.
British Airways said it had no comment to make on the incident "as a man has been charged and will be appearing in court".
A statement issued by Heathrow Airport said: "Safety and security are always our main priority and we take incidents involving either very seriously indeed.
"Individuals illegally entering the air-side environment potentially endanger their own lives and those of others. We are working with the police following an incident on Saturday.
"We keep security under constant review."
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