Man charged with illegally boarding plane at Heathrow

LONDON (AP) - A man has been charged with illegally climbing aboard an empty plane at Heathrow Airport, police said Sunday.

The Metropolitan Police force said 38-year-old Louis Pedro Verdasca dos Santos Costa, of west London, has been charged with unlawfully being airside and unlawfully being on an aircraft.

He is due to appear in court next week. The incident, which occurred Saturday, is not believed to be terror-related.

British media reports said the man locked himself in the cockpit of a parked and empty British Airways jet, where security officers struggled to reach him through the reinforced door, designed to protect pilots in case of attempted hijacking.

British Airways said it couldn't comment because someone had been charged in the case.

Heathrow said it was working with police and kept security "under constant review."

"Safety and security are always our main priority and we take incidents involving either very seriously indeed," the airport said in a statement. "Individuals illegally entering the airside environment potentially endanger their own lives and those of others."