Delta successfully returns Paris stowaway to the US, legal proceedings underway

A woman passenger who traveled on a Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Paris without a ticket or boarding pass has successfully been deported from France and returned to the US on the second attempt. The first attempt failed after the woman caused a disturbance before her flight departed Paris and had to be offloaded by French law enforcement officers as a result of the commotion.

The stowaway, a 57-year-old female who has since been identified by the French authorities as Svetlana Dali, was discovered as the flight carrying flight number DL 264 headed to Paris-Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) from New York-JFK Airport on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. According to reports, the woman was discovered while the aircraft was en route between the two cities, with the crew electing to proceed as planned to their destination. Upon landing, the stowaway was taken into custody by officials from the French police.

According to reports in the US media, Dali is said to be a resident of Philadelphia in the Northeast US. She was reportedly living in the US on a green card although according to the French Ministry of the Interior, Dali is described as a Russian national.     

Then, on Saturday, November 30, 2024, Dali was subsequently escorted onto Delta Air Lines flight DL265 in Paris by the French authorities for her return flight to New York. However, before the plane had even left the gate, French law enforcement officers were called to a ‘disturbance’ on the aircraft supposedly caused by Dali. Following being apprehended by the officers, she was removed from the flight and was taken back into custody by the French police.

It is understood that while the French authorities had escorted her to the plane in Paris, there were no officers tasked with escorting her on the flight back to New York. As the carrier that brought Dali to France in the first place, as is common practice, Delta remained liable to return her to her country of origin.  

In the latest episode in this week-long saga, on Wednesday, December 5, 2024, Dali was escorted onto yet another Delta Air Lines flight for a further attempt to deport her from France, return her to the US, and face criminal charges relating to initial stowing away on the original flight from New York on November 30, 2024. According to CBS News, this time Dali was escorted by French law enforcement officers and US Customs and Border Patrol agents on the flight back to the US. The plane was met by representatives of the New York Police Department on arrival.

Legal proceedings underway

Upon landing, Dali was arrested by officers from the US Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) and spent the night in jail before making an appearance at a district court in Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday, December 5, 2024.

According to NBC News, at that arraignment hearing, Dali was charged with offenses common with being a stowaway on a commercial airline flight. Dali reportedly arrived at the courthouse limping and appearing to be in pain. She sat between her attorney, Michael Schneider of the Brooklyn federal defenders, and a Russian translator throughout the hearing.

kamilpetran / ShutterstockHer attorney said her actions were “similar to jumping a turnstile or a theft of services, adding that she went through metal detectors at airport security in full accordance with Transportation Security Authority (TSA) rules. Dali did not enter a plea as the charges were read out. However, it is standard legal practice in US judicial proceedings that defendants are not required to enter a plea either way on their initial appearance in court, but only once they are officially indicted by a grand jury.

If she is convicted, Dali could face up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. Dali is set to return to court on Friday, December 6, 2024,  after her defense attorney and the US Government agreed on a temporary order of detention for time to form a bail package and verify her address. Her lawyer added that Dali believes her life is in danger if she continues to be detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The case continues.

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