STOWAWAY FOUND ABOARD EMIRATES FLIGHT

Posted on 06/01/2016 | About Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A teenage boy sneaked into the cargo hold of an Emirates passenger plane in China and made it all the way to Dubai before being apprehended, the airline and Chinese media said Tuesday.

The Dubai-based carrier said the stowaway was found in the cargo hold of Flight EK303 from Shanghai on Friday, May 27. “We are co-operating fully with authorities in Dubai and as this is a police matter we are unable to comment further at this time,” the airline said in a statement. It did not give any details on the identity or condition of the stowaway, though China's official Xinhua News Agency said he was a 16-year-old boy it identified only by his surname, Xu.

He tried to make the risky journey because he had heard that beggars in Dubai could earn hundreds of thousands of yuan annually, the news agency reported. Xinhua reported that the consulate has sent staffers to the airport to learn more about the situation. A translator appointed by prosecutors said the teen jumped over a fence at the Shanghai airport and climbed into the cargo hold while a security guard looked away. Dubai is home to the world's busiest airport for international travel and is a major destination for job-seekers from around the world.

Emirates operates numerous flights between its Dubai hub and China, including two round-trip flights daily to Shanghai. The flight in question is usually served by its largest aircraft, the double-decker Airbus A380, and lasts well over eight hours.