A charter plane that landed in France for a human trafficking investigation flew to India on Monday with 276 Indians on board, authorities said. The passengers had been en route to Nicaragua but were held at a rural French airport for four days in an extraordinary holiday experience.
Associated Press reporters saw the unmarked Legend Airlines A340 take off outside Vatry airport in Champagne after the crew and passengers boarded the plane. The regional administration said that 276 of the original 303 passengers were on their way to Mumbai and that 25 others had applied for asylum in France. Those who stayed behind were moved to a special zone for asylum seekers at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport, it was said.
The passengers stranded in France included a 21-month-old child and several unaccompanied minors. The remaining two passengers were initially arrested as part of a human trafficking investigation but were released on Monday after appearing before a judge, the Paris prosecutor's office said. The judge named them “assisted witnesses” in the case, a special status under French law that allows time for further investigation and could lead to eventual indictment or the dismissal of the case.
Men board the plane grounded by police at Vatry airport on Monday, December 25, 2023, in Vatry, eastern France. (AP photo)
The Legend Airlines A340 plane stopped to refuel in Vatry on Thursday en route from Fujairah Airport in the United Arab Emirates to Managua, Nicaragua, and was arrested by police following an anonymous tip that it may have human trafficking victims on board. kept on the ground.
Prosecutors declined to comment on whether the passengers' final destination might have been the United States, which has seen a surge in the number of Indians crossing the Mexico-U.S. border this year. French authorities are working to determine the destination of the original flight and have opened a judicial investigation into the activities of an organized criminal group that helps foreigners enter or stay in a country illegally, prosecutors said.
Whether human trafficking – which the UN defines as “the recruitment, transport, transfer, harboring or reception of people by force, fraud or deception with the aim of exploiting them for profit” – is still suspected was not specified on Monday. Vatry airport was seized by police for days. Local officials, paramedics and volunteers set up cots and provided regular meals and showers for those held inside.
Then on Sunday it turned into a makeshift courtroom as judges, lawyers and interpreters filled the terminal to hold emergency hearings and determine next steps. Some lawyers protested at Sunday's hearings against authorities' handling of the situation and the rights of passengers, suggesting that police and prosecutors overreacted to the anonymous tip.
The Indian Embassy took to X, formerly Twitter, to thank French officials for ensuring that the Indians could return home. French authorities were working on formalities on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning to allow passengers to leave France, regional prosecutor Annick Browne told The Associated Press.
Many thanks to the French government and Vatry Airport for the quick resolution of the situation, which allowed Indian passengers to return home and provide hospitality.
Also for the close cooperation with the embassy team, present everywhere on site, to ensure the well-being and a smooth and safe return.
Many thanks also to agencies in India.– India in France (@IndiaembFrance) December 25, 2023
Foreigners can be detained in a transit zone for up to four days for police investigations in France. A special judge must then decide whether the deadline should be extended to eight days. Legend Airlines lawyer Liliana Bakayoko said some passengers did not want to go to India because they had paid for a tourism trip to Nicaragua. The airline has denied any involvement in possible human trafficking.
The U.S. government has classified Nicaragua as one of several countries that do not meet minimum standards to combat human trafficking. Due to relaxed or visa-free entry requirements for some countries, Nicaragua has also been used as a migration springboard for people fleeing poverty or conflict. Charter flights are sometimes used to get there.