Afghan boy who flew to India in landing gear, repatriated: Report

By Anadolu staff

A 13-year-old boy from Afghanistan flew to India by hiding in the landing gear compartment of a plane, the Press Trust of India reported Monday.

The incident was reported early Sunday when KAM Airlines flight RQ-4401 reached the Indira Gandhi International airport in the national capital of New Delhi, it said in a report.

It said the boy had “somehow managed to get inside the landing gear compartment of an aircraft that took off from Kabul,” and he was found roaming near the flight after it touched down in Delhi.

“The boy, a native of Kunduz city, told the security officials that he sneaked into the Kabul airport and ‘somehow managed to get inside the rear central landing gear compartment,’ and did ‘this out of curiosity,’ the report said, quoting sources.

It said the aircraft was declared safe after a thorough inspection and anti-sabotage checks.

The teen was repatriated to Afghanistan on Sunday, on the same flight, it added.

India has no formal diplomatic relations with Kabul after the fall of the Western-backed regime in Afghanistan, whose fall led to the return of the Taliban, who are now ruling the war-torn nation as an interim administration. India is home to more than 15,000 Afghan refugees.