Dutch police are investigating the possibility of human trafficking after finding the boy falling from a compartment on a plane at Maastricht Aachen airport in Limburg on Thursday.
“For us, it is a miracle,” said a Dutch police spokesman. “Usually, when someone tidies up like this, they die from the cold or lack of oxygen.” said Marvin Engh, a spokesman for the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, one of the country’s national police forces.
The stowaway was taken to a hospital with hypothermia, but has since fully recovered, police said.
He started his journey in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, and from there he went to Istanbul, Turkey, before heading to London, according to Engh.
The plane reached a maximum height of 5,791 meters (19,000 feet) and a speed of 460 miles per hour.
The stowaway’s flight arrived in London from Istanbul on Thursday morning and spent three hours there before leaving for Maastricht.
Stansted officials confirmed that the stowaway’s flight was operated by the airline, which is Turkey’s national flag carrier.
Police do not know how he accommodated himself on his other flights, but a spokesman for London Stansted Airport told CNN that he did not board the aircraft while there. which means he probably boarded the THY6305 in Istanbul.
Turkish Airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
He applied for asylum and his application is being handled by the Netherlands Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), said Engh.
A Justice Ministry spokesman, Bart Vis, said the INS could not comment on individual cases due to privacy laws.
Investigating people smuggling is standard procedure and the health and well-being of the child is a priority for authorities, the Dutch police said.
CNN’s Rosanne Roobeek contributed to this report.