Flight grounded with 300 Indians allowed to leave France
What's the story
French prosecutors on Sunday (local time) allowed the grounded charter flight carrying over 300 people, mostly Indians, to leave France after questioning the passengers for two days.
While the full approval for its departure will be given on Monday, questions over the flight's destination still remain.
The Airbus A340 aircraft, owned by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, was grounded at an airport near Paris on Thursday (local time) over suspicions of human trafficking.
Context
Why does this story matter?
French officials grounded the Nicaragua-bound plane carrying 303 passengers when it landed at the Chalons-Vatry airport in the Marne department for a technical stopover.
The Paris public prosecutor's office claimed the action came after an anonymous tip-off was received by concerned authorities that some of the individuals on board were "victims of human trafficking."
Moreover, two passengers were detained for questioning by a specialized organized crime unit.
Details
Destination of passengers remains unclear
Francois Procureur, the head of the Châlons-en-Champagne Bar Association, said at a press conference that the detained passengers would be flown to India.
However, there has been no official statement from Indian authorities confirming the same.
Meanwhile, Marne's civilian protection unit earlier revealed that the flight had 13 unaccompanied minors and some accompanied minors aged between 21 months and 17 years.
What Next?
Airline's lawyer provides update on passengers
Speaking to the Associated Press (AP), Legend Airlines lawyer Liliana Bakayoko said the company hoped the flight could head to Mumbai on Monday "with as many passengers as possible."
Previously, Bakayoko confirmed that all crew members of the grounded flight were permitted to leave by the French authorities after questioning.
She also denied any role of the airline in any possible human trafficking.
Know more
Border police can detain passengers for nearly 1 month
To note, the French border police can detain a foreign national suspected of committing such crimes for up to four days upon landing in France and prevent them from traveling to their intended destination.
The country's laws also empower the authorities to extend this duration to eight days upon a judge's approval, another eight days under exceptional circumstances, and up to a maximum of 26 days.
Further information
Links between Nicaragua and human trafficking
The latest reports say the Indian passengers onboard were likely workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) en route to Canada or the United States (US).
Earlier, it was reported that the passengers might have purportedly planned the travel to reach Central America and try entering the US or Canada illegally.
Moreover, the American government has labeled Nicaragua as one of those nations that has failed to meet basic standards for eradicating human trafficking.
More details
Working with France over grounded plane: India
On Saturday, India confirmed that it was working with the French government for an early solution regarding the grounded charter flight carrying over 300 passengers.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Indian embassy in France also added that its consular staff were at the airport.
The Chalons-Vatry airport's reception hall was previously converted into a waiting area with beds for passengers, while ensuring all basic facilities.