A homeless man snuck onto a plane to ‘smoke a cig and drink a beer’ – before jumping off before it left.

Martin Rudzki, 35, told police he ‘thought it would be cool’ to hop into the luggage hold.

But he later said he was struggling with his mental health and was ‘having a bad day’.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how Rudzki had been sleeping rough on Manchester Airport grounds for five weeks at the time of the incident.

He was walking along the Bluetube section of the airport on December 11 when he spotted the Virgin Atlantic carrier.

After buying a beer from Spar, he climbed over three fences from the Radisson Blu Hotel and entered a plane through the luggage hold around 2pm.

He ‘explored the area’ – but became concerned when a staff member, who had no idea he was inside, removed the steps from the plane.

After climbing out, he was discovered by security guards wandering around an unauthorised zone while smelling ‘strongly’ of alcohol.

‘He said he was a new employee, this was not believed and he was provided transport to take him back to security,’ Tina Cunnane, prosecuting said.

‘The police were called and the defendant was spoken to. He confirmed he had climbed over three fences near to the Radisson Blu Hotel, entered an aircraft whilst in the airfield and went into the luggage hold in order to smoke a cigarette.’

Speaking from the dock, Rudzki told Manchester JPs his mental health was ‘in a bad state’ at the time and he ‘meant no harm’.

‘I came to Manchester, I was sleeping rough at Manchester Airport’, he said. ‘It was just out of curiosity, I wanted to see the plane.

‘There was no intention to damage it, or hurt anyone, it was just curiosity. I’m sorry. I was really peaceful, I told them [the police] I was having a bad day.

‘I’ve made real improvements, I started learning Italian and I’m possibly doing a Masters degree next year.’

Rudzki was fined £100 and handed £85 court costs and £34 victim surcharge after admitting entering a restricted area of an airport without permission.

He was also made the subject of a restraining order, banning him from going back to the airport for two years – unless he has a valid ticket for travel.

As he was sentenced, he said: ‘That’s more than reasonable.’

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