Plane grounded in France over human trafficking concerns lands in Mumbai with 276 passengers: All you need to know

#WATCH | Passengers on the plane grounded in France over human trafficking concerns arrive at the Mumbai airport

Read more: https://t.co/xTUdH9ZokN pic.twitter.com/nzJyDDyvuj

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) December 26, 2023

How many passengers made it back to India?

According to local officials, when the flight landed at France’s Vatry airport on Thursday, it had 303 passengers, including 11 minors. Of these, 25 persons, including two minors, had expressed the wish to apply for asylum and were still on French soil, the French authorities informed. The nationalities of the 25 passengers are yet to be disclosed.

A passengers of the charter plane, which was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking, comes out of the Mumbai airport on Tuesday. (Express Photo)

Those who remained were transferred to a special zone in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport for asylum-seekers, news agency AP reported.

PHOTOS | A charter plane carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking, landed in Mumbai in the wee hours on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/CPrtv8F2DS

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 26, 2023

Meanwhile, two others were held and produced before a judge in France. They were later released and placed on assisted witness status, a French news channel said.

Most of these passengers who reached Mumbai belonged to the states of Punjab and Haryana. Exiting the airport with their faces covered with masks and handkerchiefs, they were unwilling to speak to the media.

Almost all the passengers were carrying not more than two baggage which had white stickers of Legend Airline stuck on them. The usual bag tags were missing from the checked-in luggage, an Indian Express report states.

One of the passengers, hailing from Punjab, who avoided to divulging any details, said they had been allowed to go back to their home state at their own expense.

Why was the plane grounded in France?

Operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, the flight was bound for Nicaragua and had landed at Vatry on Thursday for a technical stopover en route from Dubai when French police intervened. They had got an anonymous tip that the plane could be carrying human trafficking victims. Over the next three days, the plane along with its passengers remained in France, as authorities initiated a judicial inquiry to probe the intent of the journey.

A passengers of the charter plane, which was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking, comes out of the Mumbai airport on Tuesday. (Express Photo)

According to reports, France’s national anti-organised crime unit JUNALCO has taken over the investigation to examine suspected cases of human trafficking. The airline on its part has denied any role in possible human trafficking.

Marne region’s officials have said that the reception hall at the Vatry airport was transformed into a waiting area and individual beds were provided to the passengers.

Passengers of the charter plane, which was grounded in France for four days over suspected human trafficking, come out of the Mumbai airport on Tuesday. (Express Photo)

What have Indian authorities said?

On Monday, the Indian Embassy in France thanked the French government and the Vatry Airport authorities for their hospitality and quick resolution of the situation that allowed Indian passengers to return home.

“Thank French Gov and Vatry Airport for quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home & hospitality. Also for working closely with embassy team, present throughout at the site to ensure welfare and smooth & safe return. Thank agencies in India, too,” the Indian Embassy in France wrote in a post on X.

Why Nicaragua?

News reports indicate that the travel may have been planned for the passengers to reach the Central American country, from where they can attempt to enter the United States or Canada illegally.

According to a PTI report, as many as 96,917 Indians have attempted to enter the US illegally in 2023, with Nicaragua being a popular destination for those seeking asylum in the US.

Legend Airlines lawyer Liliana Bakayoko, however, has said some passengers didn’t want to go back to India because they had paid for a tourism trip to Nicaragua, AP reported.

— with agencies inputs