Afghan Boy Stowaway Survives Kabul to Delhi Flight

New Delhi, September 23: A 13-year-old Afghan boy pulled off the unthinkable on Sunday morning, landing in Delhi alive after hiding inside the wheel bay of a KAM Air flight from Kabul. The aircraft, an Airbus A340, touched down at Indira Gandhi International Airport around 10:20 AM. When the doors opened, passengers filed out as usual, unaware that a child had just survived a journey that kills most who attempt it.

Slipping Through Kabul’s Defenses

According to officials, the boy was from Kunduz in northern Afghanistan. Somehow, he managed to dodge multiple security checks at Hamid Karzai International Airport. He is said to have followed passengers through access points before crawling into the landing gear compartment minutes before takeoff.

What gave him away was not some sophisticated scan in Delhi but his own steps. After the plane landed, ground staff noticed a boy wandering near the jet. Alarm bells rang instantly. CISF personnel detained him, and immigration officers stepped in. During a sweep of the aircraft, they found a small red speaker believed to be his.

When asked, he confessed he was actually aiming for Iran. He had no clue the plane he chose was bound for India.

A Flight Few Survive

It is almost impossible to survive where he was hiding. At cruising altitude, the temperature can plunge below 50°C. There is barely enough oxygen to stay conscious, let alone survive for more than an hour. On top of that, the landing gear itself poses lethal danger. When it retracts, it can crush anything inside. When it lowers again, people can be thrown out.

Aviation experts point out that only around 20 percent of stowaways live through such attempts. “He was extremely lucky,” said aviation safety consultant Captain Mohan Ranganathan, noting that the boy must have found a tiny space with just enough pressure to keep him alive.

History is littered with grim reminders. In 1996, two brothers in Delhi tried hiding in the wheel bay of a British Airways jet to London. One made it, the other died. In 2019, a man fell to his death from a Kenya Airways flight as it descended over London.

India Sends Him Back

In Delhi, officials moved quickly. As a minor, the boy could not be prosecuted. He was treated, questioned, and then placed on KAM Air flight RQ-4402 back to Kabul the same afternoon. He was home by evening, barely 12 hours after he had landed.

There was no triumph in this. Only relief that he had made it through alive.

Security Breach In Kabul

The larger issue is Kabul’s airport security. A teenager should not be able to slip past guards and reach the undercarriage of an aircraft without being noticed. If he could, others can too. That is a problem not just for Afghanistan but for every country that receives flights from there, including India.

Officials here are already in touch with Afghan counterparts, but with no formal diplomatic presence in Kabul, India’s ability to push for accountability is limited. Aviation security experts say the breach is serious and cannot be dismissed as a one-off.

A Glimpse Of Desperation

Behind the sensational headlines is a child’s desperation. Afghanistan remains in crisis, and it is children who feel it the most. UNICEF reports that more than half of Afghan children live in poverty, and schools in many provinces barely function. For boys like him, the future is a blank page. Many dream of reaching Iran or Europe. Few succeed. Too many die trying.

This boy lived. His story may sound extraordinary, but it is also a reminder of what hopelessness drives children to attempt.

For India, Two Lessons

For India, the incident holds two messages. First, that aviation security in the region is far from airtight. Second, the humanitarian fallout of Afghanistan’s collapse will keep knocking at its doors.

On Sunday, one boy reached Delhi hidden in a wheel bay. He was sent back within hours. His journey, reckless and desperate, will not be the last India hears of.

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