New York, United States
In a bizarre incident, a Russian woman managed to board a Delta flight from New York’s JFK International Airport that was bound for Paris after sneaking through multiple security checkpoints.
The stowaway woman identified as Svetlana Dali, 57, allegedly bypassed several layers of security on November 26 to get onto Delta Flight 264 bound for Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. However, she was caught by a flight attendant before landing when she was hiding in the bathroom.
Dali was detained by French authorities after landing in Paris. She had boarded the flight at the Queens airport without any identification or boarding pass. The woman is attempting to claim asylum in France, CBS reported citing a source.
First pics of JFK stowaway revealed as Russian woman who snuck onto Paris flight heads back to NYC
By Larry Celona and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
Published Dec. 3, 2024, 6:32 p.m. ET @nypost pic.twitter.com/a8e6ZzKAzb
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She was scheduled to return back to New York on Saturday, November 30, but was kicked off the flight by Delta Airlines after she created a disturbance on the flight. While Delta confirmed a delay on the same flight due to an unruly passenger, it did not provide any details, NBC News reported.
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A second attempt also failed after the airlines refused to let the troublemaking passenger fly to New York, according to CNN.
How did the stowaway board the flight?
According to a Transportation Security Administration spokesperson, the woman first breached an airport official who was in charge of the Known Crewmember checkpoint at terminal 4 of the John F. Kennedy International Airport, as per a CNN report. She then bypassed the TSA screening station, where her boarding pass and ID were supposed to be checked. It is still unclear how she was able to board the flight after TSA checkpoints.
While proceeding to the gate, Deli stood in the middle of a family, who were travelling together, according to the authorities. The investigators believe that she may have been able to go past all these layers amid the massive holiday crowds at the airport on the weekend. According to TSA, nearly 2.7 million passengers were screened at the US airport.
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The woman is now expected to return to New York accompanied by a French escort on Wednesday, December 4.
According to a man onboard the Saturday flight, the woman “kept on saying ‘I do not want to go back to the USA. Only a judge can make me go back to the USA.’”
Dali has a legal residency in the US but holds a Russian passport, authorities said as per the New York Post.
(With inputs from agencies)