A 13-year-old boy from Afghanistan sneaked into the landing gear compartment of a KAM Air flight and reached Delhi on Sunday. He, however, was deported the same day on the return flight to Kabul.
According to media reports, the teenager from Kunduz admitted that his “curiosity” led him to attempt the risky journey. He managed to hide inside the rear central landing gear compartment of flight RQ-4401, which landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport after a two-hour journey at 36,000 feet.
The incident came to light around 11 am when airline staff spotted the boy near the aircraft after it landed. He was handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force and taken to Terminal 3 for questioning.
During interrogation, the boy explained how he entered Kabul airport and tucked himself into the landing gear. He reiterated that he “did it out of curiosity”.
Security personnel of KAM Air later checked the aircraft thoroughly and recovered a small red speaker belonging to the boy. The aircraft was declared safe after detailed inspection and anti-sabotage checks.
The return flight took the boy back to Kabul at around 12:30 pm.