Inquiry launched after body found on BA flight
Questions are being asked today after the body of a stowaway was found on a British Airways’ flight shortly after it landed at Heathrow.
The man’s body was found in the bay of the landing gear of the Boeing 747 aircraft yesterday morning, which had just touched down on a flight from Cape Town.
It later emerged that a person had been spotted scaling the perimeter fence at Cape Town International Airport the previous evening and running towards the BA aircraft, which was already in a holding pattern ready for take off.
A spokeswoman for Airports Company South Africa, which runs the airport, said a security officer who had tried to apprehend the person was unable to approach the aircraft for safety reasons. BA had been informed, she said, and a search of the airfield was conducted but the person was not found.
When asked why the aircraft did not abort take off, a BA spokesman said the airline had not been made aware of the incident until an hour into the flight.
He added: "We are liaising with the South African authorities and Cape Town airport. They are investigating how this incident took place.
"This is a very rare and sad event and our thoughts are with the individual’s family."
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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