Stowaway survives 90-minute flight hidden in landing gear

The unnamed 20-year-old Romanian would have withstood freezing temperatures and a lack of oxygen to reach London from Vienna Airport, experts said.

Austrian police said he told British officers he crawled under the wire of the fence surrounding the airport and climbed into the undercarriage of the Boeing 747 parked near a building site.

The private jet, belonging to a high-ranking sheikh from the United Arab Emirates, then took off from the Austrian capital and landed at Heathrow on Sunday night, according to reports. It is said that after landing at Heathrow, the man – who claimed he was looking for work – fell out of the gear's cavity and was caught by security.

He was arrested for stowing away in an aircraft contrary to the Air Navigation Order 2009 but cautioned and freed with no further action being taken.

As Romania is part of the EU, the man is free to enter the UK.

Austria's daily Kurier newspaper reported that he escaped with slight bruises following the flight.

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said he was "very lucky" to be alive."It's not unheard of for people trying to escape from a country to use this method. If they do stow away in the wheel wells, then there are a number of things that can happen to them. If they don't find the right part to stow away, they can be crushed when the undercarriage comes up. Because of the altitude and temperatures during the flight, there is a severe risk to them through exposure and lack of oxygen."