Stowaway found on SIA
plane flying from UAE
10 November 2007
Straits Times, The (Singapore)
Prime News
THE first officer of a Singapore Airlines cargo jet flying from the
Middle East to Amsterdam was on his way to prepare himself a meal
when he made a startling discovery.
Seated calmly in one of the aircraft's six passenger seats was 'a
big burly Indian man', The Straits Times learnt. He could not speak
English, and was not hostile.
The jet was an hour into a seven-hour flight from Sharjah, in the
United Arab Emirates (UAE), to Amsterdam on Tuesday morning when
the stowaway was discovered.
The first officer informed the captain, who turned back to Sharjah,
where the man was handed over to the police.
Confirming the incident yesterday, SIA spokesman Stephen Forshaw
said the airline was concerned that an unauthorised passenger had
entered an aircraft, and had taken up the issue with the Sharjah
Airport authorities.
' Singapore Airlines Cargo security staff have travelled to Sharjah
to work with the airport authorities to identify how this lapse in
security has occurred and ensure measures are put in place to
ensure it does not recur,' he added.
This was the second stowaway found on an SIA plane in a month. On
Oct 11, a Palestinian fell out of the nose wheel well at Changi
Airport after a passenger flight from Kuala Lumpur landed. He was
handed over to Malaysian authorities and charged with trespassing
on a protected area of the airport.
In this week's incident, it is not known yet where the man got on
the Boeing 747-400F.
The flight had originated in Bangalore, India, and stopped over at
Sharjah Airport before taking off on Tuesday morning for
Amsterdam.
It is believed that the man entered the cargo hold and, while the
aircraft was in flight, climbed up a ladder inside to get to the
cabin seats.
If he had sneaked on in Bangalore, he might have escaped detection
at Sharjah because not all the cargo was unloaded there.
How he got inside is being investigated because the entrance to the
cargo area is usually guarded by armed airport security
personnel.
Pilots get on the Boeing 747-400F freighter aircraft via a
staircase from outside the plane. Once inside, they go up a ladder
to the upper deck, where the cockpit and cabin seats are
located.
Only two people were supposed to be on this flight - the captain
and the first officer.
The Straits Times learnt that the stowaway was calm after being
discovered.
To make sure he remained that way, the captain asked the first
officer to serve the man some food and drinks, and to pull down the
window shades so he would not suspect that the plane was returning
to Sharjah.
This incident has raised safety concerns for pilots because there
is no cockpit door on cargo aircraft.
An aviation safety expert said that, given the busy airport
environments these days, it could be easy for people 'to walk in,
look like they were doing something legitimate and not be
challenged'.
Said Dr John Harrison, head of terrorism research at the
International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research
at the Nanyang Technological University's S. Rajaratnam School of
International Studies: 'But we have to challenge, and it is
important to use this case as an important example of how security
can be breached.'
Copyright, 2007, Singapore Press Holdings Limited
