According to a spokesman for Schiphol and the police, the man had been hiding for more than 11 hours since the plan departed from Johannesburg, South Africa. Although the person was not identified, officials said he would be between the ages of 16 and 35.
Airport ground staff first saw anything that resembled a person and immediately notified authorities. When they arrived on the scene, Dutch police and emergency services confirmed that the man was alive but with a low body temperature, said Joanne Helmonds, spokeswoman for the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee.
The man was resuscitated and stabilized at the airport and then transported to a hospital in Amsterdam, Helmonds said.
“If the man has recovered and is acquitted by the hospital, he will then be admitted to the Asylum Seekers Center (AZC) where his status will be determined if he is indeed seeking asylum,” said Helmonds.
The flight time between Johannesburg and Amsterdam is on average about 11 hours, and if the flight had had a stopover in Kenya, the journey would have been several hours longer, according to the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee.
Cargolux, the Luxembourg cargo airline aboard the stowaway, declined to comment on the news until an investigation into the situation is completed.