An Eastern European visitor becomes a resident of a New York airport terminal when a war breaks out and erases his country from the map, voiding his passport. He makes friends with the airport staff and falls in love with a flight attendant.

Inspired by the story of Merhan Nasseri, an Iranian refugee. In 1988, he landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris after being denied entry into England because his passport and United Nations refugee certificate had been stolen. French authorities would not let him leave the airport. He remained in Terminal One, a stateless person with nowhere else to go. He has since been granted permission to either enter France or return to his own country. He instead chooses to continue to live in the terminal and tell his story to those who will listen. Reportedly, his mental health has deteriorated over the years. When given the opportunity to live in France, he refused because the documents did not name him as "Sir, Alfred", and he claims to have forgotten his native Persian language. Reportedly, he left the terminal in August 2006 to be hospitalized for an unspecified illness.

Amelia:
Are you coming or going?


Viktor Navorski:
I don't know. Both.

Crew or equipment visible: The hand of a crew member can be seen holding the doors open when the INS Agent is escorting Viktor into the terminal for the first time (This hand is not visible in shots of the same door from the same angle later in the film)

Written by Bert Kaempfert, Charles Singleton & Eddie Snyder
Performed by Strings Unlimited
Courtesy of Countdown Media