Plane held for four days over trafficking fears leaves France
Dec 26, 2023
Paris [France], December 26: A plane carrying about 275 Indian nationals who were held for four days at an airport in France has taken off.
The chartered Airbus A340 had been grounded since Thursday over suspicions of human trafficking.
The flight, from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Nicaragua, had stopped at an airport east of Paris to refuel, with 303 people on board. The plane is now believed to be en route to Mumbai, but some of the passengers have stayed in France.
The Legend Airlines flight had been prevented from leaving Châlons-Vatry Airport, about 130km (81 miles) from Paris, after authorities received an anonymous tip-off that some passengers might be victims of human trafficking.
Two of those on board were taken into custody, while a number of others had requested asylum in France, according to sources. Most are believed to be Indian citizens working in the UAE. French authorities reportedly suspected that the people on board may have been travelling to Nicaragua before attempting to enter the US or Canada.
It was not clear whether authorities had definitively determined that no crime was committed before allowing the plane to leave. It is also unclear why the flight heading to Mumbai, instead of resuming its journey to Nicaragua.
"At this stage we're still unsure," Human Rights League President Patrick Baudouin, told French TV. "Was this a tip which it turns out was completely inappropriate, or is there a real crime behind this?"
Legend Airlines is a Romanian charter airline with a fleet of four planes, according to the online flight tracker Flightradar.
Source: Qatar Tribune
