A Greek man who missed an Ethiopian Airlines flight by two minutes survived a crash that killed all 157 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 737-800, according to his account of the event. The incident occurred on March 10, 2019, when flight ET302 crashed shortly after departing from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, bound for Nairobi.
The man, identified as Mavropoulos, president of the International Solid Waste Association, was traveling to Nairobi for the UN Environment Programme’s annual assembly. He recounted arriving at the airport just as boarding had closed, stating that his delay prevented him from boarding the doomed flight. "I lost it for two minutes," he said, explaining that his late arrival meant he missed the departure window.
Upon realizing he had missed the flight, airport staff rebooked him on a later departure. However, security officers later barred him from boarding the replacement flight, citing unspecified reasons. A senior officer reportedly told him, "You are the only passenger who did not enter the flight which is missing. This is why they can’t let you go until they determine who you are." The man initially dismissed the claim as a joke but later confirmed its accuracy through media reports.
After learning of the crash via text messages from friends, Mavropoulos described feeling physically and emotionally overwhelmed. He later reflected on the role of chance in his survival, writing, "The invisible and nēmatídia of fortune... one to break is enough to feed the whole web instantly." He expressed gratitude for his life and the support of friends and family.
