Plane lands in Mumbai after being held for days in France

A commercial airplane, an Airbus A340 aircraft carrying 276 passengers from India successfully landed in Mumbai today after a temporary detainment in France due to suspicions of human trafficking. 

The plane, operated by Romania-based Legend Airlines, was originally bound for Nicaragua but was grounded for several days at Vatry airport near Paris following concerns raised over the passengers’ potential involvement in trafficking. 

After thorough investigations and legal deliberations, the aircraft resumed its journey, marking the conclusion of a tense situation that began with alarming allegations of human trafficking.

The situation arose following an anonymous tip-off suggesting potential human trafficking among the passengers. The concern led to the grounding of the plane for several days. Among the original 303 passengers, 276 boarded the plane bound for Mumbai after authorities concluded they had willingly boarded the flight.

French authorities had initially detained two individuals over suspected involvement in human trafficking, but they were later released after it was established that all passengers had boarded voluntarily. Investigations are now focused on potential violations of immigration laws rather than trafficking.

During the detainment in France, 25 passengers, including five minors, applied for asylum in the country. Additionally, French courts ruled against further detention of some passengers, allowing the plane to resume its journey.

The Indian Embassy expressed gratitude for the swift resolution that enabled the passengers to return home. The embassy also noted that the passengers, initially thought to be potential trafficking victims, were likely workers from the United Arab Emirates intending to travel to Nicaragua as a gateway to entering the United States or Canada.

The airline, Legend Airlines, involved in this incident, operates with only four planes, and its 30 crew members were not detained. French authorities said that while no evidence of trafficking was found, investigations into potential immigration law breaches are ongoing.

This episode raises concerns among some humanitarian organisations, including Secours Catholique-Caritas, which questioned the decision to allow the plane to depart, considering the possibility that passengers could indeed be victims of trafficking.