MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ecuadorean stowaway captured in Chile trying to board flight to Argentina

The trespasser was handed over to the police for proper legal procedures

A new security incident was recorded Friday at Santiago de Chile's Nuevo Pudahuel - Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport when an Ecuadorean stowaway was caught trying to board a cargo plane bound for Argentina.

The trespasser was spotted by airport security personnel from the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC), who quickly brought him down and handed him over to the police.

According to a DGAC statement on X, the subject broke in through the primary customs area to the cargo warehouses.

The incident was not a minor one at a time Chile is under scrutiny by the US Air Transportation Security Administration (TSA). It also added to the detention last Monday of a Colombian national working for Swissport Chile after trying to place two cocaine-containing packages on a KLM flight bound for Amsterdam.

Also this week, Santiago's airport opened five new VIP lounges designed by the renowned Italian studio Pininfarina, of Ferrari car designing fame.

“Primeclass Pacifico is Pininfarina's first architectural project in Chile. Each lounge represents a gateway to the diverse beauty of Chile, and offers travelers the opportunity to connect with the landscapes before leaving the airport,” Senior Design Manager of Pininfarina USA Jairo Vives explained.

Pininfarina was founded in 1930 and over nine decades has designed more than 1,300 automotive and mobility projects and more than 650 product and architectural projects for Ferrari, Ford, Alfa Romeo, and Fiat, among others.