- Plane grounded amid trafficking suspicions
- Two individuals arrested; investigation ongoing
- Crew and passengers face uncertainty
The passengers on the Legend Airlines-operated charter flight were making their way from Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, to Managua, Nicaragua. A counsel for Arline stated that the organisation is optimistic that the aircraft will depart for Mumbai, India, on Monday.
Following the grounding of a plane transporting 303 Indian citizens in France on suspicion of human trafficking, two individuals have been apprehended.
A group of passengers, led by a 21-month-old infant, were aboard the Legend Airlines-operated charter flight en route from Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, to Managua, Nicaragua.
On Thursday, however, the A340 was grounded at Vatry Airport, a minor gateway in Champagne, northeastern France, in response to information that the passengers might have fallen prey to human smugglers.
The two travellers were arrested during a French police investigation into organised crime syndicate human trafficking.
Liliana Bakayoko, an attorney for Legend Airlines, stated that the airline anticipated the aircraft’s arrival in Mumbai, India, on Monday. She expressed the hope that it would bring the greatest number of passengers possible.
Whether the passengers who have been detained at the airport will be permitted to proceed to Nicaragua remains uncertain.
For police investigations, foreigners may be detained in a transit zone in France for a maximum of four days. Thereafter, a special magistrate must decide whether to extend that period to eight days.
Cargo is accommodated on camp cots
Aside from the human trafficking investigation, which repurposed the airport as a gateway, every other flight was cancelled or rescheduled.
An airline attorney stated that all fifteen crew members were questioned and subsequently released, adding that the airline is profoundly disturbed by the incident.
Passengers were detained at the airport and reportedly spent three nights on camp cots, according to a local administration official.
Unaccompanied minors were among those on board, as reported by the local civil protection agency.
The administration said in a statement on Saturday that emergency personnel, Red Cross employees, a physician, and local volunteers were dispatched to the scene to attend to the passengers’ requirements, including providing access to toilets and showers, medical attention, and regular meals.
X learned from the Indian Embassy in France that consular staff had granted passengers consular access.
“The events that transpired in the reception area astonish me. “Clearly, individuals were not informed of their rights, which is what should have occurred,” said Francois Procureur, the Chalons-en-Champagne Bar Association’s president, on BFM television.
He also described as “unprecedented” the clamorous, hurried airport hearings.
Airlines deny any involvement in potential human trafficking.
Ms. Bakayoko stated that Legend Airlines denied any involvement in potential human trafficking. She hailed the crew’s and aircraft’s acquittal following interrogation as “excellent news for the airline.”
The attorney stated that a “partner” company that chartered the aircraft was tasked with authenticating each passenger’s identification documents and provided the airline with the passengers’ passport information forty-eight hours prior to the flight.
She stated that the unidentified customer, who was not a European company, had reserved multiple flights from Dubai to Nicaragua on Legend Airlines, some of which had already completed the trip without incident.
She further stated, “The crew members, who are of various nationalities, are quite traumatised.” “They have written me messages expressing their desire to spend Christmas with their families.”
Although the Indians’ ultimate destination may not have been the United States, Nicaragua has often served as a transit point for migrants due to its lenient or visa-free entry regulations for certain nationalities.
Some migrants fly across the border before taking a bus north with traffickers.
As record numbers of individuals attempt to cross from Mexico to the United States border, border security has emerged. It is a central Republican line of attack in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election.
