Grounded plane with over 300 Indians leaves France, to reach India tomorrow

A plane with close to 300 Indian passengers detained near Paris over suspicions of human trafficking took off after being cleared for departure by French police.

The Airbus A340 carrying Indian passengers had been bound for Nicaragua when it was detained at Vatry airport after arriving from Dubai for refuelling, news agency AFP reported. The plane was grounded following an anonymous tip-off that it was carrying potential victims of human trafficking.

Embassy of India in France tweeted, “Thank French Government and Vatry Airport for quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home & hospitality. Also for working closely with embassy team, present throughout at the site to ensure welfare and smooth & safe return.”

What we know of the passengers so far?

The passengers were questioned for two days by French prosecutors who gave the go-ahead for the plane to leave. The head of the local bar association, Francois Procureur said as per AFP that the passengers would be flown to India.

The Indians were likely workers in the United Arab Emirates who had been bound for Nicaragua as a jumping off spot for the United States or Canada, it added. The passengers of the flight were put up at the airport during the investigation and beds, toilets as well as showers were installed.

The passengers included 11 unaccompanied minors, according to Paris prosecutors.

Why was there delay in the plane leaving?

The authorisation for the plane to leave came after a French court ruled that any further detention of three of the passengers would be illegal, AFP reported. Genevieve Colas, coordinator at the Secours Catholique-Caritas association, said that the release of the plane had “surprised” her.

“What if they really are victims of people trafficking,” she asked, adding, “Then it wouldn’t be right to just let them take off to another country.”