A ground engineer at Gatwick Airport noticed a packing strap dangling from the landing gear compartment of an Air Arabia flight that had travelled from Tangier.
The discovery was made on the morning of June 16, prompting an immediate call to emergency services.
The man was found unresponsive inside the compartment.
Post-mortem results determined that cardiac arrest was the cause of death, brought on by a combination of hypoxia and hypothermia.
West Sussex Brighton and Hove Area Coroner Joseph Turner opened proceedings at Horsham Coroner’s Court on Tuesday.
The identity of the deceased remains unknown.
Mr Turner said temperatures within the landing gear bay would have dropped to extreme lows during the flight, with oxygen levels severely depleted.
A ground engineer at Gatwick Airport noticed a packing strap dangling from the landing gear compartment of an Air Arabia flight
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The coroner formally started the inquest on the grounds that he had “reason to believe this death was unnatural”.
Cases of stowaways are still rare at British airports – though they carry an extraordinarily high fatality rate due to the brutal conditions at cruising altitude.
After the man was discovered, a spokesman for the airport said: “London Gatwick’s emergency services attended an Air Arabia aircraft just after 11.30am on Tuesday June 16 2026 when an incident was identified upon arrival.
“‘As Sussex Police have confirmed, a body was found.
Gatwick Airport confirmed the death shortly after the body was discovered
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“Our teams subsequently supported Sussex Police and the coroner. Our thoughts are with everyone affected.”
No details surrounding the man’s date of birth, country of origin, address or job were discussed at the hearing.
Mr Turner adjourned the full inquest until February 4, 2027.
In June 2015, a 24-year-old South African successfully broke into Britain after clinging to the undercarriage of a jumbo jet flying from Johannesburg to London Heathrow.
Mr Turner adjourned the full inquest until February 4, 2027
Themba Cabeka survived -60C temperatures as he hung onto a British Airways JET for the entire 11-hour journey alongside friend Carlito Vale.
As the plane was coming into land, Mr Vale plummeted 5,000ft to his death, smashing into an office block in Richmond.
Mr Cabeka was found unconscious on the ground by staff at Heathrow Airport, and he spent the next six months in a coma before making a recovery.
He swiftly applied for asylum in Britain and was granted leave to remain by the Home Office.
The 35-year-old now lives in Liverpool and is unable to work due to injuries sustained to his leg during the 11-hour ordeal.