Key Points:
- A 13-year-old Afghan boy from Kunduz province stowed away in the rear landing gear of a Kam Air flight from Kabul to New Delhi.
- He was discovered roaming the tarmac at Delhi’s IGI Airport after the roughly 620-mile (1,000 km) flight.
- The boy reportedly told Indian authorities he boarded the plane out of “curiosity” and mistakenly believed it was heading to Iran.
- He was questioned by India’s Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and immigration officials before being repatriated to Kabul on the same flight later that day.
- The incident has triggered a high-level investigation into the security protocols at Kabul’s international airport.
New Delhi: On Sunday, September 21, 2025, a 13-year-old boy from Kunduz, Afghanistan, breached security at Kabul’s international airport. According to reports, he followed a group of passengers onto the tarmac and managed to climb into the unpressurized rear wheel well of Kam Air flight RQ4401, which was preparing for departure. The boy, who was reportedly carrying only a small red audio speaker, mistakenly thought the flight was bound for Tehran, Iran.
The flight to New Delhi lasted approximately 90 minutes, covering a distance of about 620 miles. Upon landing at IGI Airport around 11 a.m., the boy was seen wandering on the runway in his pajamas and was promptly detained by airport staff and handed over to the CISF.
Security Response and Repatriation
After being taken into custody, the boy was questioned for several hours by CISF and immigration authorities. He stated that his motive was “curiosity.” Following the interrogation and after conducting anti-sabotage checks on the aircraft, Indian officials repatriated the boy to Kabul on the same Kam Air plane around 4 p.m. local time.
A Major Security Breach
The incident has raised serious questions about the security measures in place at Kabul’s airport. Aviation experts are alarmed that an individual could access a restricted area and stow away on an international flight undetected. This breach has prompted calls for a thorough review and reinforcement of airport security protocols in Afghanistan to prevent similar occurrences. International aviation bodies are expected to engage with Afghan authorities on the matter.
The Dangers of Stowaways
Traveling in a plane’s landing gear compartment is exceptionally dangerous. Stowaways face extreme risks, including being crushed by the retracting landing gear, oxygen deprivation at high altitudes, and lethal cold with temperatures dropping as low as -60°C. According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the survival rate for such attempts is less than 25%. The boy’s survival is considered miraculous.
