A man suffering from "severe hypothermia" has been discovered in the cargo hold of a plane at Paris-Orly airport following a flight from Algeria.
The man was discovered shortly after the Air Algérie commercial aircraft's arrival from Oran, in northwest Algeria, said an anonymous airport source. The source added that the man appeared to be in his twenties and was alive but in a critical condition.
The man was transferred to a local hospital following the intervention of the air transport police and emergency services. The man's discovery happened around 10:30-11:00 on Thursday – just 15 to 30 minutes after the aircraft's arrival – during what is believed to have been a routine check of the aircraft.
Commercial planes typically cruise at an altitude of around 12 km, where the air temperature can drop below -50°C.
