A chartered Airbus A340, en route from the United Arab Emirates to Nicaragua, made an unexpected stop in France, where suspicions of human trafficking arose. As a result, the plane carrying hundreds of Indian passengers was grounded in France for four days amid an investigation into possible human trafficking. The plane has since arrived in India.
According to local officials, of the 303 original passengers who were left behind in France, 25, including five minors, requested asylum in the country. Two additional passengers were briefly detained as part of the trafficking investigation before being released by the French courts.
The flight finally took off for Mumbai when the French courts gave their approval. Most of the travellers were Indian nationals employed in the United Arab Emirates, with a notable proportion hailing from Gujarat. Nothing conclusive about human trafficking was discovered, despite rumours of a potential diversion to Nicaragua with plans to enter the US or Canada.
The travellers may be headed to Nicaragua with plans to reach the United States or Canada, according to suspicions held by French authorities. Uncertainty surrounds whether officials were able to definitively rule out criminal activity before allowing the plane to take off. To further compound the uncertainty, the flight was scheduled to land in Mumbai rather than Nicaragua. Reports from Flightradar indicate that the operator, Legend Airlines, is a Romanian charter airline that flies four aircraft.
In a post on X, the Indian Embassy thanked the French authorities for the “speedy resolution of the situation, enabling Indian passengers to return home.”