DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, June 1 (UPI) -- A Chinese teen was found hiding in the cargo hold of a Emirates plane after the flight from Shanghai had landed in Dubai, the airline said Tuesday.
The stowaway, who was not identified by the airline, but later China's official Xinhua news agency said he's a 16-year-old named Xu, was found on a flight on Friday and handed over to police at the airport.
"We are co-operating fully with authorities in Dubai and as this is a police matter we are unable to comment further at this time," Emirates said in a statement.
Xinhua reported the boy was "very comfortable" in the hold, though hungry from not eating during the almost nine-hour flight. He stowed away because he had heard beggars could make lots of money in Dubai, Xinhua reported.
The teen told officials through a translator he jumped over a fence at Shanghai airport and climbed into the cargo hold of the plane when a security guard was not looking, the agency said.
Flights of that length are typically served by the airline's largest aircraft, the double-decker Airbus A380, which has a pressurized cargo hold.
