Exclusive: Epstein's 'Lolita Express' Made Multiple Birmingham Airport Flights
A BirminghamLive investigation has uncovered that disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's private Boeing 727-100 aircraft, infamously known as the "Lolita Express," arrived and departed from Birmingham Airport (BHX) on five separate occasions over a two-year period. Unredacted passenger logs released by the US Department of Justice in the Epstein files detail these movements, with Epstein himself listed as a passenger on at least four of the flights.
Police Assessment and Political Calls for Action
West Midlands Police confirmed they are "assessing information" related to Epstein's flights through the city, following the publication of these documents. This comes after former Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged police forces to "urgently" re-examine allegations surrounding potential trafficking of girls or women aboard flights to the UK. The investigation highlights ongoing scrutiny of Epstein's international travel network.
The Mysterious November 2001 Flight
The most enigmatic journey documented in the logs occurred on November 26, 2001. Records show Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence in the US for her role in Epstein's crimes, spent two days in the UK before traveling from London Luton to Westchester County, New York, on that date.
However, the Epstein files reveal a puzzling discrepancy: on the same day, the jet was recorded flying from Birmingham, UK, to Newark, New Jersey, with no public record of it arriving back in the UK. The passenger log for this Birmingham departure shows only a series of question marks, indicating no information about who was onboard. This gap has prompted inquiries under the Freedom of Information Act.
Detailed Flight Logs and Passenger Information
The investigation outlines specific flights involving Birmingham Airport, identified by its International Civil Aviation Organisation code "EGBB":
- October 15-17, 2000: Epstein flew from Paris–Le Bourget Airport to Birmingham, then departed two days later for Bangor, Maine, USA. Shelley Lewis, a publisher and wellness entrepreneur from Manchester reported as his secret ex-girlfriend, was listed as a passenger on both legs.
- August 31 - September 2, 2002: Epstein arrived in Birmingham from Paris with German entrepreneur Nicole Junkermann, also known as Countess Nicole Brachetti Peretti, and departed two days later for Paris with her. Junkermann recently stepped down as a trustee of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity amid revelations of her 20-year friendship with Epstein, expressing regret and horror at his actions.
Broader Context and Airport Response
Epstein made up to 90 flights to or from UK airports between the early 1990s and 2016, including 15 after his 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a minor. A Birmingham Airport spokesman clarified that privately chartered aircraft operate independently through third parties, with passengers processed in private facilities away from the main terminal, and the airport lacks prior knowledge of arrangements but will cooperate fully with official investigations.
The probe into these flights underscores the lingering questions about Epstein's activities and the need for transparency in assessing potential criminal conduct associated with his travel.
