‘Out of curiosity’: 13-year-old Afghan boy travels from Kabul to Delhi in plane’s landing gear and survives

Kabul: A 13-year-old Afghan boy was discovered at Delhi’s international airport after travelling from Kabul hidden inside the landing gear compartment of a Kam Air passenger plane, Indian authorities said.

The boy, from Kunduz in northern Afghanistan, was spotted walking on the runway after the aircraft landed on Sunday morning, according to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which handles airport security, says the BBC.

“He managed to travel undetected on Kam Air flight RQ-4401, which landed in Delhi around 11:10 am,” a CISF spokesperson said.

The boy was detained and questioned by security personnel before being returned to Kabul on the same aircraft, officials said. He told authorities he had entered the plane “out of curiosity,” according to local media.

The Indian Express reported that the boy had intended to reach Iran and did not know the flight’s destination was Delhi. He is said to have sneaked into Kabul airport, followed a group of passengers and stowed away in the aircraft’s rear wheel well.

During a post-flight inspection, airline staff found a small red audio speaker that the boy had carried with him, officials said.

Aviation experts say survival in wheel wells is rare due to extreme cold and lack of oxygen. In 2022, a 22-year-old Kenyan man was found alive in the wheel compartment of a cargo plane that arrived in Amsterdam from South Africa.