A known stowaway who was released after being caught sneaking onto a flight from New York to Paris in 2024 has been detained again for wrangling her way onto a plane travelling from New Jersey to Milan.
Svetlana Dali, a Russian national with U.S. residency who was convicted in 2025 on stowaway charges for boarding a Delta flight to Paris without a passport or ticket and skipping security, was arrested Thursday at Milan’s Malpensa Airport, an official told The Associated Press.
FBI spokesperson Emily Molinari said the agency’s Newark office was “aware of the alleged stowaway,” but didn’t immediately disclose additional information.
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United Airlines, which operated the flight, said it is “investigating this incident and working with the appropriate authorities.”
Dali’s lawyer, Michael K. Schneider, who is handling an appeal of prior charges, said he could not comment on Thursday’s incident, nor on whether Dali had undergone a mental health evaluation as required in the terms of her supervised release.
“I can’t comment on what she’s done since her release. My office is handling the appeal, which is still pending,” Schneider said.
She was sentenced to time served for the 2024 offence.
According to NBC News, in her latest unauthorized journey, Dali slipped past ticket agents to board the plane. By the time staff realized she had bypassed checks without a ticket, the flight was over the Atlantic Ocean, well on its way to Italy.
When probed by staff, Dali reportedly pretended she couldn’t hear crew members’ questions, according to the U.S. outlet.
Days before boarding the 2024 Paris flight, Dali snuck past security at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, but was apprehended before she could board. Earlier in 2024, she was caught by border agents hiding in a bathroom in a secure area of Miami International Airport.
Shortly after returning to the U.S. following the Paris incident, she was arrested by the FBI and ordered to remain in Philadelphia.
Instead, she fled to Buffalo, N.Y., allegedly cut off her ankle monitor and took a bus toward the Canadian border. She was arrested while trying to cross into Canada.
Surveillance footage from the day of her flight to France showed Dali slipping in with a group of ticketed passengers, allowing her to walk past Delta Air Lines staff without being noticed.
In court, Dali said she walked onto the plane without being asked for a boarding pass. On the plane, prosecutors say she hid in a bathroom for several hours and wasn’t discovered until the plane was nearing Paris.
— With files from The Associated Press
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