Afghan boy reportedly survives 1,000 km flight in landing gear compartment

The boy reportedly intended to fly to Tehran, Iran, and was unaware that the 90 minute, 1,000-kilometre flight he snuck onto was bound for Delhi.

A 13-year-old Afghan boy reportedly survived a flight from Kabul to Delhi stowed away in the rear landing gear compartment of a passenger aircraft, according to multiple media reports including the BBC, CNN and Indian outlets.

According to the BBC, authorities found the child, who is from Kunduz city in northern Afghanistan, roaming around the runway in white pajamas at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport after the KAM Airlines flight landed on Sunday.

Security forces detained the boy and reportedly questioned him for several hours before sending him back to Kabul at about 4 p.m. local time, according to a statement from India’s Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), obtained by the Indian Express newspaper.

Global News has not independently verified the reports.

He allegedly told authorities he stowed himself away out of curiosity, the BBC said, citing Indian authorities.

A spokesperson for the CISF was quoted as saying that the child made the journey unnoticed and that, upon inspection, a small audio device was recovered from the landing gear.

“An aircraft security check was conducted by the airline’s security and engineering staff, during which a small red-coloured audio speaker was found in the rear landing gear area,” CISF said in that report.

According to the Indian outlet, the boy intended to fly to Tehran, Iran, and was unaware that the 90-minute, 1,000-kilometre flight was bound for Delhi.