Russian Woman Arrested For Sneaking Onto US Flight To Europe Again

Svetlana Dali, who was convicted in 2024 for flying to Paris without a passport or ticket, has been arrested again after sneaking onto a United Airlines flight bound for Milan, Italy. Dali snuck past airline employees at Gate C74 at Newark Liberty International Airport and onto United flight 19 on Wednesday (Feb 25) night without a ticket.

The Boeing 777-200 flight departed Newark at 5:51 pm local time, and during the more than seven-hour journey, the airlife staff discovered that Dali was flying without a ticket, according to a report in CNN. After the plane arrived in Milan on Thursday, she was detained by the law enforcement agencies.

FBI spokesperson Emily Molinari said that the agency's Newark office was "aware of the alleged stowaway." The office is working with the Transportation Security Administration and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey "on this open investigation". United Airlines added that it was also working with the authorities on the case.

"Safety and security are our highest priorities. We are investigating this incident and working with the appropriate authorities," said United Airlines.

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Previous Instance

Dali, a Russian citizen who is a legal permanent US resident, previously stowed away on a Delta Air Lines flight from JFK to "save" herself from a purported poisoning in November 2024. Surveillance footage from her previous offence showed her briskly walking past Delta staff and onto the Paris-bound plane.

Once on board the plane, she spent time hiding in the bathroom to avoid the flight crew but was eventually discovered and detained in Paris. She was extradited to the US and appeared in a court in Brooklyn, where the court-appointed lawyer argued for her release.

"We do not believe she is a serious risk of flight. It's not as if she can sneak on a flight every day," federal public defence attorney Michael Schneider told the court.

She was released without bail in November, but was arrested again in January and sent to Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Centre after cutting off her ankle bracelet and trying to board a Greyhound bus to Canada. She was still on one year supervised release when she was arrested on Thursday.