Stowaway survives Johannesburg to Amsterdam flight.
A stowaway was discovered alive and well in the front wheel section of a freight plane after an 11-hour flight from South Africa to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.
Believed to be between 16 and 35 years old, the man is thought to have climbed into the Cargolux 747 freight plane’s landing gear as the aircraft prepared for departure at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport.
Advertisement
The plane made a scheduled stop in Nairobi, Kenya, before resuming its trip to Europe, according to Schiphol’s website and flight tracking data.
The unidentified man was discovered by Dutch authorities when the aircraft was checked over upon arrival in the Netherlands.
Advertisement
Check prices and Book Cheap flights and hotels Now
“The man was found alive in the nose wheel section of the plane and was taken to hospital in a stable condition,” Royal Dutch Military Police spokeswoman Joanna Helmonds told the AFP news agency.
“It is quite remarkable that the man is still alive,” she said.
According to reports, airport staff wrapped the man in blankets and jackets to warm him up before an ambulance arrived, where he was able to answer basic questions.
It is very unusual for stowaways on long flights to survive, due to the cold and low oxygen at high altitudes.
A spokesperson for Maastricht Aachen Airport said the stowaway “had tremendous luck to get through this.”
Authorities are investigating the identity of the man and whether he boarded the plane in Johannesburg or Nairobi.
