Stowaway passenger bypasses TSA at JFK, lands in Paris: officials

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- An unauthorized passenger bypassed the Transportation Security Administration and boarded a plane at JFK on Tuesday, officials said.

The plane later landed in Paris.

The stowaway passenger was aboard Delta Flight 264, which took off from New York-JFK and landed in Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

“Nothing is of greater importance than matters of safety and security. That’s why Delta is conducting an exhaustive investigation of what may have occurred and will work collaboratively with other aviation stakeholders and law enforcement to that end,”

a spokesperson for Delta said.

The airline declined to comment further.

According to a source familiar with air travel, an individual must be cleared at a TSA security checkpoint to be present at an airline departure gate for boarding.

A TSA spokesperson said the individual boarded the plane without a boarding pass and completed the airport security screening without any prohibited items. The individual also bypassed two identity verification and boarding status stations and was able to board the aircraft.

Law enforcement became involved when the flight arrived in France, officials said.

It remains unclear if the passenger was arrested.

The airport in France, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, was not immediately available to comment.