123-year-old Indian passenger stuns Abu Dhabi officials
Swami Sivananda's passport says he was born on August 8, 1896
Dubai: A passenger’s passport caused a stir with immigration officers at Abu Dhabi International Airport after it disclosed that the man’s age was 123.
The passport, which was photographed and shared on social media much to the disbelief of residents, claimed that Swami Sivananda was born in the city of Kolkata in the West Bengal state of India on August 8, 1896.
The images quickly became an internet sensation on social networking sites in the UAE, as social media users looked at the photos in awe.
“His features seem to make him look between 85 and 90 years old,” said Khaled Bin Abdullah, while Abu Jihad commented that Sivananda’s age was “almost double the age of the Arab League”.
The Arab League was established in 1945.
Many others were also skeptical of the passport’s claims, and cited the lack of proper documentation as a reason for the Indian man’s old age.
Social media user Bint Bilaad Al Harmain pointed out: “These ages are often not true because of the lack of identity documents and available data back in the old days. While the birth dates may be accurate for some, there are parents that would not have been able to remember all the dates of when their children were born.”
Gulf News was unable to get a comment from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) at Abu Dhabi International Airport.
Etihad told Gulf News in an email statement: “As long as you’re fit to fly, there really is no age limit to air travel. Etihad flies people of all ages every day, from the youngest infants to centenarians, and we are committed to ensuring that all our guests are well-looked after.”
An internet search revealed that as of 7 October 2019, the oldest known living person is Kane Tanaka of Japan, aged 116 years and 278 days. Tanaka was born on 2 January 1903.
Guinness World Records
Earlier in March 2019, Guinness World Records – the global authority on record-breaking – announced Japan’s Kane Tanaka as the world’s oldest living person and female at 116 years old.
The oldest person ever to have lived was Jeanne Louise Calment from France, who reached the age of 122 years and 164 days.
Guinness World Records is currently investigating the title for the oldest living male after Masazo Nonaka, from Japan, who passed away on 20 January 2019. He was 113 years and 179 days old.