Afghan Boy, 13, Found Alive As Wheel-Well Stowaway In Delhi

A 13-year-old boy from Afghanistan surprised authorities by arriving in Delhi hiding inside the landing gear of a Kam Air flight. The aircraft, flight RQ-4401 from Kabul, landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) after a 1.5-hour journey on Sunday morning at around 11:10 am.

Dangerous Stowaway Attempt

In aviation, such attempts are called “wheel-well stowaways,” where people hide in the landing gear of planes. These journeys are extremely risky due to freezing temperatures, low oxygen at high altitudes, and very small spaces. Many such attempts end tragically because of hypothermia or lack of oxygen.

Spotted on the Taxiway

As the aircraft taxied at Delhi’s IGI Airport, the airline’s chief security officer saw the boy walking on the taxiway near the plane. He immediately alerted the airport’s Security Operations Control Centre. Airport officials said the boy is a native of Kunduz in Afghanistan.

Detained and Questioned

The boy was quickly detained and handed over to security agencies, including the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). He was questioned for several hours at Terminal-3 to understand how he managed to board the plane secretly.

“Curiosity” Led the Boy

According to a CISF official, the boy told investigators that he sneaked into Kabul airport and climbed into the rear landing gear before departure. He said he did it “out of curiosity.” Later the same day, he was safely repatriated to Kabul on another flight at around 4 pm.

Items Recovered and Aircraft Cleared

During inspection, officials found a red-colored speaker believed to belong to the boy. The aircraft was cleared after thorough security checks. Authorities noted that such stowaway cases are rare but have happened before.

Previous Stowaway Incidents

Similar incidents have been reported worldwide. In January 2024, two men were found dead in the landing gear of a JetBlue flight from the Dominican Republic to Florida. In December 2023, an Algerian youth survived a flight from Oran to Paris but suffered severe hypothermia. In 2021, a Guatemalan man survived a flight to Miami hiding in a wheel well for several hours.

Airport Safety Reminder

Officials reminded the public that entering restricted areas and aircraft wheel wells is extremely dangerous. They urged airports to remain vigilant and continue strict security checks to prevent such dangerous attempts in the future.