Chartered Plane Saga Ends: 280 Passengers, Mostly Indians, Finally Land in Mumbai After Four-Day Ordeal

Mumbai, 27th December 2023: A chartered plane carrying 280 passengers, predominantly Indians, was grounded in France for four days over suspicions of human trafficking, landed in Mumbai at 3 am on Tuesday. The flight was arranged especially as the Romanian-based carrier, Legend Airlines, which operated the Airbus A340 flight from the UAE to Nicaragua in Central America, does not typically operate flights to and from Mumbai. The passengers were permitted to leave the airport after 8:30 am, following extensive rounds of questioning conducted by authorities from the Immigration Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Of the original 303 people on the passenger list, 276 were on board when the plane landed in Mumbai. The aircraft was grounded at Vatry airport in France last Thursday. Two individuals who were among the passengers were initially questioned by French police on suspicion of people trafficking. However, they were released after authorities determined that all 303 passengers had boarded the plane voluntarily. The suspects’ release was attributed to the investigating judge resisting media pressure, as stated by their lawyer, Salome Cohen.

While two passengers were detained and questioned by French authorities, the prefect’s office initiated a judicial investigation focusing on the purpose and conditions under which these passengers were being transported to the Central American country. Although French authorities are still investigating potential violations of immigration laws, they are no longer pursuing the case for potential people trafficking, according to judicial sources.

Out of the 303 Indian passengers, 11 were unaccompanied minors. About 25 individuals have applied for asylum and have been transferred to a designated zone in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport for asylum-seekers as the French authorities continue their investigation.