He bypassed the security check and escaped to the plane’s bathroom. He switched between bathrooms throughout the 7-hour flight, until he reached Paris, where he was not allowed to enter.
He is between 55 and 60 years old and had already requested exile from France a few years ago. He has Russian passport and will soon be sent back to the United Stateswhere you have a “green card” (US residence card). At this moment, he is waiting in a “deportation room”, nicknamed ZAPI.
It was this Tuesday that the woman surprised the entire security team at JFK airport in New York. It is not known how he bypassed the airport security control, but he did it.
I didn’t have a boarding pass, but completed the security check and bypassed two identity verification stations and boarding status to get on the plane, a US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesperson told . The woman was not carrying any prohibited objects.
Finally, he managed to enter a bathroom in the 7 hour flight bound for Paris, where I got in and out, alternating between those available on the plane.
Passengers on Delta Flight 264 from New York JFK International Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport were only alerted to the presence of the stowaway when the plane landed in Paris, these Rob Jacksonone of the passengers on the flight.
“The first announcement to passengers that there was a problem was when we parked at the gate and they instructed us to we remained seated because the French police were going to enter the plane to address ‘a serious security problem,’” he said.
“I heard the flight attendants talking about the matter with the pilots — they said the person was in a bathroom and then left and went to another bathroom and stayed there for a long time“, disse Jackson.
The woman was eventually arrested and is now awaiting deportation. According to CNN, he does not meet the necessary conditions to enter France.
The incident occurred on one of the busiest days of the year. About 2.7 million passengers traveled on planes on Tuesdayaccording to TSA data.
A former commercial pilot highlighted the seriousness of the safety breach. “Even stand-by passengers are unable to board. You have to go through the boarding gate agent,” he said. JP Tristani. “There is a flaw here that, frankly, after 33 years of flying on airlines all over the world, It’s inconceivable to me (…) We have a gross failure of downstream safety here.”
“Delta is conducting a exhaustive investigation of what may have happened and will work collaboratively with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to this end,” the airline assured.
