A 10-year-old Egyptian boy managed to sneak past security checkpoints at Cairo's international airport and board a flight to Bahrain before getting caught, airport sources said on Thursday.

A vigilant hostess of Gulf Air caught the boy before the Manama-bound aircraft took off, the sources added.

The boy, who lives in a neighbourhood near the airport, was handed over to police. He explained that he had wanted to take an "up close look of the planes."

His father was summoned and reprimanded by police. It was unclear whether there would be any legal consequences for the boy's actions.