Police in Italy have arrested a man who created a fraudulent identity for himself as a Lufthansa pilot.

The unnamed 32-year-old claimed to be Captain Andrea Sirlo. He was found with uniforms and IDs, and had a Facebook account showing him in the cockpits of assorted passenger jets.

However, it was quickly established that most of the man's identity was completely fake. It's alleged he began impersonating a pilot to experience new social circles and make friends around the world.

Fortunately, it seems that despite successfully boarding at least one flight from Munich to Turin, no-one ever asked him to actually take the controls.

The imposter was caught following a police manhunt after a senior aviation officer got suspicious about Sirlo being named a captain at such a young age.