Dutch authorities discovered a stowaway hiding in the nose wheel of a cargo plane after it landed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Sunday Morning, 23 January 2022.
Officials have not released any information about the man’s identity other than him being a male between the age of 16-35 years old, and whether or not he boarded the plane in Johannesburg, or Nairobi, where the plane also landed en-route to Amsterdam.
It is unusual for stowaways to survive such long flights, due to the extremely cold temperatures and low oxygen levels at such high altitudes.
Dutch Military Police spokesperson, Joanne Helmonds, told CNN that they ‘were surprised upon finding this man but even more surprised at him being alive after the plane flew over 10,000 km in very, very cold temperatures.’
The nationality of the man is yet to be announced, and whether or not he boarded the plane intentionally. ‘ When the man has recovered and cleared by the hospital, he will then be processed at the Asylum Seekers Centre where his status will be determined if he indeed is looking for asylum,’ Helmonds said.
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