Stowaways in Aviation: A Hidden Risk Osprey Analysis of Global Stowaway Incidents
Author: Alexandra James Published: 15 October 2024
Introduction
Aviation stowaway incidents are defined by Osprey as incidents in which one or more individuals bypass airport passenger security, immigration and ticketing controls in order to access aircraft in an attempt to travel illegally, usually to claim asylum in another country. Stowaways therefore typically attempt to board aircraft in locations where there are high levels of sociopolitical unrest, conflict, economic instability and/or famine – frequently, but not exclusively, in Africa. They often target flights to destinations that are perceived to offer greater stability, safety and economic opportunities, with many cases involving flights bound for Europe. The majority of 'traditional' stowaway incidents involve individuals accessing the lower part of aircraft wheel wells. Most perish due to hypoxia, hypothermia, being crushed by the landing gear upon retraction after take-off or falling out of the wheel well as the landing gear is lowered for landing. An additional hazard includes burning by the tyres, which emit significant amounts of heat due to friction upon take-off and landing. Such incidents may therefore demonstrate the significant risk individuals are willing to take to flee desperate situations in their home countries; however, it is likely that many do not fully comprehend the risks involved.
Stowaways present a limited level of threat to aircraft; they are generally people whose intention is to arrive safely at the aircraft's intended destination. However, their presence in compartments containing sensitive landing apparatus presents a significant safety hazard. Additionally, while there is no evidence of stowaways in previous incidents having been in possession of weapons, this is a possibility in the future, potentially presenting a risk to aviation staff who encounter them. Detected stowaways may be significantly distressed and emotionally unstable due to the high mental and physical stress associated with such incidents, increasing the risk to staff interacting with them. Further impacts on airlines may include delays, cancellations, as well as reputational damage.
Stowaway incidents highlight security vulnerabilities in the locations in which they occur, whether as a result of insufficient perimeter security or via insider assistance; such vulnerabilities may be exploited by individuals with more nefarious intent. In addition, non-stowaway incidents that involve breaches of perimeter security at airports in significant irregular migration source locations may indicate that those airports are vulnerable to stowaway incidents in the future.
Stowaways and Non-Ticketed Passengers
Osprey divides its data relating to stowaways, which is gleaned from open sources, into two distinct groups:
‘Traditional’ stowaway incidents that involve individuals illegally accessing areas of the aircraft that exclude the passenger cabin – e.g. aircraft wheel wells, holds, etc.
Non-ticketed passengers who illegally access the passenger cabin from airport terminals (for example, by "tailgating" other passengers through controls).
There have been multiple recent examples of the latter type; however, they raise a very different set of concerns as they relate largely to passenger controls within airport terminals rather than perimeter security and insider facilitation. They also tend to involve individuals of a very different
profile to stowaways utilising the landing gear compartments of aircraft. Incidents involving passengers boarding flights illegally via conventional passenger boarding routes can be effectively detected through gate checks and pre-departure cabin counts. This case study therefore focuses on the former type of incident, which concerns factors usually outside the control of airlines.
Global Stowaway Hotspots
Heat map showing locations of stowaway incidents since 2018 (Image Source: Osprey Flight Solutions)
Stowaway Origin Locations
Osprey analysis has identified three global stowaway origin 'hotspots’:
Nigeria: Six incidents at Lagos Murtala Mohammed International Airport (DNMM/LOS) since 2019 (last one April 2023)
Algeria: Four incidents in two years (last attempt January 2024): two at Oran Ahmed Ben Bella Airport (DAOO/ORN), one at Algiers Houari Boumediene Airport (DAAG/ALG) and one at Constantine Mohamed Boudiaf International Airport (DABC/CZL)
Kenya: Three since 2019, all from Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International (HKJK/NBO) (last one January 2022)
Of the 31 incidents involving stowaways identified by Osprey since 2018, 20 involved stowaways likely accessing or attempting to access aircraft in locations in Africa:
- Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Nigeria: 6
- Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International, Kenya: 3
- Oran Ahmed Ben Bella Airport, Algeria: 2
- Accra Kotoka International Airport (DGAA/ACC), Ghana: 1
- Algiers Houari Boumediene Airport, Algeria: 1
- Constantine Mohamed Boudiaf International Airport, Algeria: 1
- Abidjan Port Bouet Airport (DIAP/ABJ), Cote d'Ivoire: 1
- Kinshasa N'djili Airport (FZAA/FIH), DRC: 1
- Cairo International Airport (HECA/CAI), Egypt: 1
- Conakry International Airport (GUCY/CKY), Guinea: 1
- Banjul International Airport (GBYD/BJL), The Gambia: 1
- Brazzaville Maya-Maya Airport (FCBB/BZV), Republic of the Congo: 1
After Africa, the region most impacted by stowaways since January 2018 has been Latin America and the Caribbean, with incidents identified in Colombia, Guatemala, Cuba, Ecuador and Guadeloupe (one incident recorded in each country). Three of these incidents involved flights bound for the United States, with at least two for Miami International Airport (KMIA/MIA).
Stowaway
Destinations
In four of the 31 incidents, the intended destination of the stowaway was unclear – two at Lagos Airport in May and September 2022, one at Oran Airport and one at the former Siem Reap Airport (VDSR/REP) in Cambodia in 2019. Of the 31 incidents, 15 involved individuals travelling or intending to travel to Europe. The exact destination was unclear in one (unsuccessful) stowaway attempt. The following nine European airports were the destinations in 14 stowaway incidents or attempts since 2018:
- Amsterdam Schiphol (EHAM/AMS), Netherlands: 4
- London Heathrow (EGLL/LHR), UK: 2
- Paris Charles de Gaulle (LFPG/CDG), France: 2
- Paris Orly (LFPO/ORY), France: 1
- Bilbao (LEBB/BIO), Spain: 1
- London Gatwick (EGKK/LGW), UK: 1
- Frankfurt (EDDF/FRA), Germany: 1
- Barcelona (LEBL/BCN), Spain: 1
- London Stansted (EGSS/STN), UK: 1
14 of the 15 Europe-bound incidents/attempts originated in Africa; one incident in October 2022 involved a flight from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport (OIIE/IKA) to Frankfurt Airport.
In terms of destination facilities, Amsterdam Schiphol was the most affected, with three reported incidents (one each in 2021 and 2022 and two in 2023; two from Lagos, one from Nairobi and a fourth from an unknown location, which transited at Schiphol but was identified at Istanbul Airport (LTFM/IST); however, Schiphol was the stowaway's likely intended destination. France and the UK were the most common intended destination countries, each with four incidents. One of the four incidents involving stowaways attempting to reach France involved a child unsuccessfully stowing away in the engine of a private jet at Brazzaville Maya-Maya Airport, Republic of the Congo. The child reportedly stated they had intended to travel to France, but it remains unclear to which French airport the individual had intended to fly and indeed whether the aircraft they had
accessed was actually due to fly there. Two of the remaining incidents to France involved individuals arriving from Algeria on Air Algerie flights – one in the cargo hold and the other in a landing gear compartment of the aircraft. The last incident involved the body of a teenager being discovered at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport having arrived from Abidjan Airport, Cote d'Ivoire.
Of the incidents involving individuals attempting to reach the UK, two were from Nairobi, Kenya, one was from Banjul Airport, Gambia, and one involved an individual who was intercepted at Kotoka International Airport, Ghana, in April 2024, as he attempted to illegally board a British Airways flight to Heathrow, having breached perimeter security.
Origin Airport Case Studies
Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Nigeria
Osprey data indicates that at least six stowaway incidents/attempts have likely involved Lagos Airport since 2018. Two were reported in 2019 (both of which were intercepted prior to departure, one during taxiing), one in 2021 (to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport) and two in 2022 –one of which was fatal and the other was eventually intercepted. The last incident occurred in 2023, when the body of a stowaway was detected in the landing gear compartment of an aircraft that had arrived at Schiphol Airport. The aircraft had arrived from Canada but previously operated to Lagos; given the migration profiles and security postures of airports in both countries, Lagos was the more likely origin of the stowaway. Of note, reporting of one of the incidents in 2022 highlighted that the individual accessed the apron via the ‘Ile Zik' end of the perimeter fence along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
Osprey has issued multiple alerts regarding airside security incidents at Lagos Airport, including perimeter breaches not limited to stowaway incidents. As recently as February 2024, thefts of aeronautical equipment from an airside area were reported; the situation led the Military Airport Commandant to issue a restraining order against any individual who tried to access the runway by breaching the perimeter fence. In addition to a notoriously porous perimeter, corruption at the facility has been a persistent issue, with various aviation workers detected extorting passengers and facilitating crimes such as drug trafficking and equipment theft. While none of the six incidents associated with Lagos Airport since 2018 were reported to have involved corrupt airport workers, given the high levels of corruption at the facility, this remains a possibility in the future, particularly should perimeter security be effectively reinforced.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya
Since 2018, Osprey has identified three incidents that involved stowaways who likely accessed aircraft at Nairobi Airport – one each in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Following the incident in 2019 – in which an unidentified body fell from an aircraft, presumably from the landing gear compartment, on its final approach to London Heathrow – the UK press highlighted deficiencies in perimeter security at Nairobi. However, Kenyan authorities disputed this and suggested the individual could have been an aviation worker with access to the apron. However, while Kenyan currency and other items were found to be in his possession, his identity, including his nationality, has never been publicly confirmed. Both stowaways in the two subsequent incidents involving flights via Nairobi – a 16- and a 22-year-old – survived their journeys; however, their itineraries and methods
of boarding the aircraft have not been publicly confirmed. Although both reportedly claimed to be Kenyan nationals upon arrival, it remains unconfirmed, but likely, that they boarded at Nairobi Airport.
Perimeter security breaches at Nairobi Airport in general are rarely reported. Likewise, reported corruption at the facility is not common. However, in September 2023, Osprey highlighted that aviation workers, including police, Kenya Airports Authority employees and airline and immigration personnel were accused of facilitating human trafficking both into and out of Kenya, indicating potential for insider-facilitated stowaway incidents.
Stowaway-Related Insider Activity
Osprey has recorded stowaway incidents that were either facilitated by aviation insiders or, less common, in which aviation personnel have stowed away on aircraft. Regarding the latter, in Ethiopia in 2022, 16 airline technicians and other staff, all of Tigrayan ethnicity, were reported to have stowed away on flights to escape ethnic profiling and resultant detention by Ethiopian authorities during conflict in Tigray. Some of the individuals were reported to have concealed themselves in ceiling space accessed via crew bunks on a passenger flight and in the cargo hold of a converted cargo Airbus A350 to destinations in the US or Europe.
Separately, in January 2024, Osprey highlighted that in Algeria, 11 aviation workers were arrested in relation to an incident in the preceding December, when a stowaway was discovered alive but in a critical condition in the landing gear compartment of an Air Algerie Boeing 737 that had arrived at Paris Orly Airport, France, from Oran Airport, Algeria. Additionally, in June 2023, two airport workers at Algiers Houari Boumediene Airport were each sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for facilitating a fatal incident involving two stowaways to Barcelona Airport in June 2022.
Addressing Stowaway Incidents
Due to continuing push factors in common origin countries, stowaway incidents are likely to persist in the coming years. Airlines are therefore recommended to take certain measures, particularly in high-risk locations. Thorough manual pre-flight checks of landing gear compartments and engines should be conducted a maximum of five minutes prior to departure. Operators should safeguard aircraft via the active use of asset anti-tamper measures. Technology such as heat sensors may be used to detect the presence of individuals in landing gear compartments and other aircraft areas. Such technology should be regularly maintained. In highrisk locations, aircraft should also be guarded by security personnel trained to detect stowaways; utilise a ground handler, FBO or locally embedded staff for additional airside support services.
More generally, operators are advised to review internal and external mechanisms for suspicious activity reporting. Any revisions to processes should account for local area threat assessments, crew ground transport provider vetting provisions, random anti-terrorism measures, advance passenger information sharing procedures, enhanced air cargo screening protocols, aircraft antitamper kit, physical asset security mechanisms, behavioural analysis detection training and an insider threat programme as part of a wider aviation risk management strategy.
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