Man flies to China to meet online girlfriend, waits for her at airport for 10 days

The world is filled with happy couples who met on the Internet, but, unfortunately, one Dutchman's tale of online romance does not have a similarly happy ending.

After a 2-month virtual courtship, Alexander Pieter Cirk, 41, flew to Hunan, China to meet his girlfriend, but she never showed up, reports the BBC.

Cirk waited at the Changsha Huanghua International Airport for 10 days, at which point he was taken to the hospital due to physical exhaustion.

News outlets reached out to Ms. Zhang, the woman he was supposed to meet.

The 26-year-old said she thought he was joking about the trip to China and explained his post-arrival calls went unanswered as she was having plastic surgery and had turned off her phone.

The woman added that she would still like to meet Cirk, notes the New Zealand Herald.

Internet users have their reservations about the couple's chances.

One wondered, "Doesn't he know that everything in China is fake?"

Others, however, had some sympathy for Cirk.

"Here's a guy taking a relationship seriously, don't play around with his feelings," one user said. "If you don't want him anymore, tell him so he can go home."

RELATED: Worst airports in the world