Stowaway apparently hides in plane's undercarriage bay for 2.5 hour flight to Paris

A stowaway apparently hid in a plane's undercarriage bay for a two-and-a-half hour flight that landed in Paris on Thursday morning.

What are the details?

Citing a security source briefed on the matter, Reuters reported that the stowaway was found alive but in critical condition in the undercarriage bay of an Air Algeria airplane at Paris Orly airport.

The plane was coming from the Western Algerian town of Oran, the outlet noted.

The stowaway was in a life-threatening condition and being treated at a nearby hospital, Reuters added, citing the source.

Stowaways in planes' unpressurized wheelhouses and cargo holds can be subjected to temperatures ranging from -58 to -76 degrees Fahrenheit, the outlet said, as well as lack of oxygen.

More from Reuters:

In 2019, the body of a suspected stowaway fell hundreds of meters from a plane flying over southwest London, landing in the garden of a man's home, just missing him as he sunbathed.

In 2015, the body of a stowaway on a British Airways flight from Johannesburg to Heathrow landed on a shop in Richmond, southwest London. A second stowaway survived the 10-hour flight and was found in the undercarriage of the plane.

How are folks reacting?

Commenters on a version of the Reuters story published by Yahoo! News had plenty to say about the incident:

• "For the lack of any security noticing this person accessing the plane while on the tarmac you have to wonder how easy it would be for anyone else to put a bomb or [smuggle] something aboard without anyone being the wiser," one commenter observed.
• "Watch and remember my words: in the not-too-distant future, airlines will be required to install oxygen masks and 'space blankets' in the wheel wells of all of their aircraft," another commenter predicted. "The 'feel good' crowd will demand it!"
• "How in God’s name does someone survive up to -76 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours?" another commenter wondered. "Madness!"

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