JAKARTA — An Indonesian man survived a one-hour flight from Sumatra island to Jakarta by hiding in the passenger jet's landing gear bay, media reports said Wednesday.
The man, identified as 21-year-old Mario Steven Ambarita, crawled out of the wheel well of a Garuda Indonesia plane after it landed at the Soekarno-Hatta airport, dazed and staggering, the Kompas daily said.
Garuda spokesman Pujobroto said the man appeared to have breached the fence at Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport in Riau province on Sumatra island and climbed into the aircraft's wheel well as it was preparing for take off.
"He knew that the plane would stop for a moment before taking off," Pujobroto was quoted as saying.
Mr Ambarita was treated at the airport's clinic.
Reports said Mr Ambarita had wanted to visit Jakarta, having been born in the capital, but could not afford a plane ticket.
Mr Kompas said Mr Ambarita was the third stowaway since 1981 known to have survived hiding in an Indonesian plane's landing gear bay.
Temperatures can drop to well below zero degrees Celsius outside a plane at above 16,000 feet, and wheel bays are not equipped with heating or oxygen.
Extreme cold and lack of oxygen has killed other stowaways on longer flights.