Russian national repeatedly sneaks onto U.S. flights without tickets, sparking security alarm

NEWARK, N.J. — A Russian citizen is in custody in Italy after allegedly sneaking onto a flight from Newark Liberty International Airport to Milan without a ticket, marking at least the second time she has successfully stowed away on an international flight.

Svetlana Dali managed to bypass airport security and remained undetected by flight crews until the aircraft was already airborne, according to authorities. She was detained by officials upon landing in Milan.

The incident is part of a recurring pattern for Dali, a permanent resident of the United States. In July 2025, she was convicted for a nearly identical security breach in November 2024, when she snuck onto a flight from New York to Paris.

Dali also has a documented history of security violations at airports in Miami and Connecticut. She is currently in the process of appealing her previous conviction.

The FBI, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) confirmed they are conducting an active investigation into how the latest breach occurred.

The recurring security breaches involving Svetlana Dali at some of the United States’ busiest aviation hubs are more than a bizarre anomaly; they represent a stark indictment of the structural vulnerabilities currently plaguing the nation’s transportation security infrastructure. The ability of an unauthorized individual to repeatedly circumvent multiple layers of screening at John F. Kennedy International and Newark Liberty International airports raises fundamental questions regarding the operational efficacy of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

In the two decades since 9/11, the federal government has directed billions of dollars toward sophisticated surveillance technology and rigorous passenger processing protocols. Yet, the Dali case highlights a persistent and low-tech failure in basic oversight. That a passenger could bypass both ticketing counters and security checkpoints unnoticed—only to be discovered while the aircraft was already at cruising altitude—suggests a breakdown in the fundamental "rings of security" designed to protect the national airspace.

While investigators suggest Dali’s motives may stem from personal issues rather than extremist intent, the policy implications are severe. Her actions have exposed a blueprint for exploitation that more sophisticated bad actors could leverage. Beyond the immediate security risk, these lapses erode public confidence in the integrity of federal aviation oversight. For the Department of Homeland Security and federal regulators, the priority must shift from the prosecution of a single individual to a comprehensive audit of terminal security protocols. The Dali incident is a clear signal that the current system is failing to meet its most basic mandate: ensuring that no one boards a flight without being vetted.

The incident does not directly impact the specific interests of the Vietnamese-American community, such as our business sectors—from Little Saigon storefronts and phở restaurants to the nail salon industry—nor does it affect visa categories like F2B, EB-5, or H-1B. However, it does raise general concerns regarding aviation safety for all passengers. This is particularly relevant for the many community members who frequently travel domestically or take long-haul flights between the United States and Vietnam to visit family or manage remittances.