For years, travelers passing through Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris would encounter a man who looked as if he belonged in the terminal as much as he belonged to the passengers, flight decks and waiting areas around him.
Mehran Karimi Nasseri has lived at the airport for about 18 years, turning a small space near Terminal 2F into a place for routine, meditation and survival. His unusual circumstances began with a complex immigration ordeal that left him unable to move freely between countries. Although Nasseri eventually left the station, his connection to the airport did not completely disappear. Decades later, the place he once besieged is where his extraordinary journey ended.
Mehran Karimi Nasseri’s journey from Iran in 1945 to an 18-year life in a hospital Paris airport
Born in 1945 in Khuzestan Province, Iran, Nasseri left his homeland as a young man in search of his mother, beginning a journey that would take him across Europe.He spent some time in Belgium before trying to establish a life in other European countries. However, due to the lack of required immigration documents, he faced repeated difficulties. Authorities in countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany refused him permission to stay, forcing him to continue moving.
Eventually, Al-Nasiri arrived in France. Instead of finding a permanent place to settle, he fell into a complicated legal situation that left him stranded at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
How Nasseri turned a Paris airport lounge into his daily home
Inside the airport, Nasseri created a routine around the only environment available to him. His belongings were stored in the baggage carts beside him, and the bench near the station became his main living space.He spent hours writing in notebooks, reading newspapers, and observing the endless movement of travelers around him.
While thousands of people passed through the airport every day on their way to different destinations, Nasseri remained in the same place.The airport staff gradually became familiar with him. He is no longer just another passenger waiting for the flight. He became a permanent figure in the daily life of the station.His situation caught the attention of 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 the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
PC: SCMP
How Nasseri’s house at the airport continued even after his legal battle ended
Nasiri’s legal status 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 lifestyle. He continued his stay at Charles de Gaulle until 2006, when health problems led to his transfer to hospital.After leaving the station, Nasseri spent some time at a hostel. His story remained unusual because the airport wasn’t just a place he was stuck in. For nearly two decades, it became the center of his daily existence.
The 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 of natural causes in November 2022. He was reportedly found with several thousand euros among his belongings.His life has become connected in an unusual way: a man sits in an airport with the world moving around him. But behind that image was a complex story of migration, legal uncertainty, and the search for belonging.