Svetlana Dali, a repeat stowaway, was arrested in Italy after allegedly boarding United Flight 19 from Newark to Milan, which departed about 5:30 p.m. ET. She reportedly passed ticketing agents and was discovered midflight on a Boeing 777-200 when crew members found she had no boarding pass. Dali was previously convicted in Brooklyn for an unauthorized Nov. 26, 2024 Delta flight to Paris and received time served; she has a documented history of security breaches at U.S. airports.
Repeat Stowaway Arrested After Boarding United Flight 19 From Newark To Milan
Svetlana Dali, center, in federal court in 2024. (Elizabeth Williams)(Elizabeth Williams)
Svetlana Dali, a repeat stowaway with a record of unauthorized airport incursions, was detained in Italy after allegedly boarding United Flight 19 from Newark Liberty International Airport to Milan on Wednesday evening, sources familiar with the matter said.
The Boeing 777-200 departed Newark at about 5:30 p.m. ET. According to sources, Dali passed through ticketing and ground screening and was not discovered until cabin crew realized a passenger aboard the aircraft lacked a boarding pass while the jet was already over the Atlantic.
Svetlana Dali, right, after sneaking onto a United Airlines flight. (Obtained by NBC News)(Obtained by NBC News)
One source said Dali appeared to feign hearing difficulties when crew members asked whether she held a valid ticket or was traveling improperly. Italian authorities took her into custody after the aircraft landed in Milan.
Previous Incidents And Conviction
In May, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Dali, a Russian national who holds U.S. permanent residency, on a stowaway charge tied to an unauthorized Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Paris on Nov. 26, 2024. She received a sentence of time served for that incident.
Svetlana Dali walks past Delta departure gate agents without a boarding pass at New York’s JFK airport on Nov. 26, 2024. (TODAY)(TODAY)
U.S. officials say Dali has a history of security breaches at U.S. airports: two days before the Paris flight she reportedly slipped through security at Bradley International Airport (Hartford, Conn.) but was intercepted before boarding, and earlier in the same year U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents found her hiding in a bathroom inside a secure area of Miami International Airport.
Official Response
Representatives for the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI declined to comment. It was not immediately clear whether Dali had retained or been assigned legal counsel to speak on her behalf.
Note: The details above are based on reporting from sources familiar with the matter and public court records.
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