File photo of Schiphol airport
(Picture: Getty)A stowaway was discovered alive in the wheel section of a plane that arrived in Amsterdam’s Schipol airport from South Africa on Sunday, said Dutch police.
The journey can take around 11 hours, but the flight is believed to have made one stop in Nairobi, Kenya.
It is rare for those attempting to stowaway on long flights to survive because of the high altitude and cold temperatures.
Dutch military police, who are responsible for border control, said the man had been taken to a hospital.
“The man is doing well considering the circumstances and has been taken to a hospital," said police in a statement.
A spokeswoman, Joanna Helmonds, said the man’s age and nationality had not yet been determined.
"Our first concern of course was for his health," she said.
"This is definitely very unusual that someone was able to survive the cold at such a height - very, very unusual."
A spokesperson for freight carrier Cargolux confirmed to Reuters in an email that the stowaway had been on a flight operated by Cargolux Italia.
"We are not in a position to make any further comment until the authorities and the airline have completed their investigation," they said.
According to flight tracking data and the Schipol airport website, the only Cargolux freight flight arriving at Schiphol on Sunday travelled from Johannesburg and made a stop in Nairobi.
It is not yet clear at which location the stowaway boarded the plane.
