Man survives after flying from Africa to Amsterdam in Boeing 747 landing gear

Dutch police have confirmed a man has been found alive after being found in the wheel section of a plane that landed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport from South Africa

The stowaway travelled in the landing gear of a Boeing 747 cargo jet.

Flights from Johannesburg to Amsterdam take approximately 11 hours, with the cargo plane believed to have made one stop, in Nairobi, Kenya.

It is very unusual for stowaways on long flights to survive, due to the cold and low oxygen at high altitudes.

Police say the man’s age and nationality have not yet been determined.

“The man was found alive in the nose wheel section of the plane and was taken to hospital in a stable condition,” Royal Dutch Military Police spokeswoman Joanna Helmonds told the AFP news agency.

“It is quite remarkable that the man is still alive”

According to Dutch broadcaster NOS, the man’s body temperature was raised at the scene and by the time an emergency services arrived, he was able to answer basic questions.

A spokesperson for freight carrier Cargolux confirmed in an email to ticker NEWS affiliate, Reuters, that the man had been on a flight operated by Cargolux Italia.