The plane, which was carrying 303 Indian passengers bound for Nicaragua, remains immobilized at a French airport due to suspicions of human trafficking, in a case in which two people were arrested this Saturday.
The airfield has been confined, which has forced flights scheduled for yesterday and today to be diverted, and passengers are temporarily housed in the facility's entrance hall.
The device, an Airbus A340 of the Romanian company Legend Airlines, landed around 2:00 p.m. GMT on Thursday at Chalons-Vatry airport, about 140 kilometers east of Paris, for a technical stopover on its way to the United Arab Emirates (USA). ) to Managua, as explained by the authorities.
The authorities intervened after receiving an anonymous complaint that among the passengers there were victims of human trafficking, which is why an investigation was initiated by the Paris Prosecutor's Office.
The passengers were disembarked and the crew questioned. Two of the passengers were placed under police detention while the investigations continue, in which various organizations specialized in international human trafficking participate.
Among the passengers were some unaccompanied minors, although an exact number has not yet been officially released.
In addition, 58 of the passengers have requested asylum in France, according to the local newspaper L'Union, which cites judicial sources.
The airport lobby was transformed into improvised accommodation, with single beds to offer passengers "the best possible reception conditions", indicated the Prefecture (government delegation) of the Marne department.
They have also been distributed hygiene products, healthcare and regular meals.
A lawyer representing the airline, Liliana Bakayoko, explained today to the BFM channel that the flight was booked by "a reliable client of the company", who was asked to cover that flight.
The lawyer refused to name that client, to preserve her right to the presumption of innocence, but she did clarify that it is a company "registered outside the European Union" and with which Legend Airlines has made some flights in the past.
Bakayoko stressed that the airline has nothing to do with possible irregularities, since all passengers have valid passports and visas and passed police checks at the airport of departure.
He added that French authorities have released all crew members after questioning them.
Meanwhile, the airport continues to be confined and surrounded by police controls, to prevent the departure of passengers and the entry of people from abroad.
The Indian embassy in France reported on X (formerly Twitter) that it is offering consular assistance to its citizens. "We are investigating the situation and ensuring the well-being of the passengers," she added.
Personnel from the Indian consulate in Paris were sent to Varty, added the embassy, who thanked the French authorities for the work they are doing "in this long weekend of Christmas holidays."
Sources close to the case have suggested to local media the hypothesis that the passengers could be Indian workers in the US trying to join the flow of immigrants trying to reach the United States or Canada from Central America or even that the technical stopover was an excuse and France the final destination of the flight.
