PARIS, France – A middle-aged Russian woman who made headlines earlier this week for sneaking onto a Delta Airlines flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport to Paris remains in custody at Charles de Gaulle Airport following a chaotic attempt to return her to the United States.
The unidentified woman, who holds a Russian passport and a U.S. green card, has been detained in Paris since last Wednesday after successfully bypassing multiple security checkpoints and boarding the Paris-bound flight without a ticket or boarding pass.
French authorities detained her upon arrival, where she made yet another attempt to seek asylum—a request that was denied, as it had been in a prior attempt years ago.
The incident has sparked investigations by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), as well as JFK and Delta Airlines security teams, to understand how the woman managed to evade numerous layers of security screening and identification checks.
According to officials, she reportedly concealed herself in an aircraft bathroom during takeoff and intermittently used other restrooms throughout the flight.
Despite the flight being nearly fully booked, she occasionally occupied an empty seat.
Passengers on the Delta flight were only made aware of the breach upon landing in Paris.
“The first announcement to passengers that there was a problem was when we parked at the gate,” one passenger told CNN.
“They instructed us all to remain seated because French police were going to board the aircraft to deal with ‘a serious security issue.’”
French authorities initially planned to deport the woman to the U.S. on Saturday, November 30, 2024.
However, the plan was derailed when she caused a “disruptive outburst” on the return flight, leading airline staff to remove her from the plane before departure.
As a result, she remains detained at Charles de Gaulle Airport while arrangements for her return are reconsidered.
Upon her eventual return to the U.S., the stowaway is expected to face a range of state and federal charges, including violations related to aviation security.
Her actions have not only raised concerns about significant lapses in airport security at JFK but also strained international procedures for handling unauthorised travelers.
The incident highlights ongoing challenges in airport security, even in high-traffic hubs like JFK. The TSA and Delta Airlines have pledged to conduct comprehensive reviews of their security protocols to prevent such breaches in the future.
