An Airbus A340 carrying 276 passengers, mostly Indians, landed in Mumbai early this morning, following a four-day detention in France over suspected human trafficking allegations. The charter plane, operated by Romania’s Legend Airlines, had initially taken off from Vatry airport near Paris, only to be detained by French authorities who launched a probe into the purpose of the trip. 

The aircraft landed in Mumbai shortly after 4 am. It had taken off from Vatry airport around 2.30 pm local time.

French authorities confirmed that 276 passengers had boarded the plane for the flight, while 25 individuals, including two minors, remained on French soil seeking asylum.

Upon landing in Vatry on Friday, it was found that there were 11 unaccompanied minors among 303 passengers. The stranded passengers were provided with makeshift beds, access to toilets and showers, and meals, along with hot drinks, in the halls of Vatry airport during the four-day ordeal.

The flight’s connection to Nicaragua raised eyebrows, as the central American nation has seen a surge in individuals seeking asylum in the United States. According to data from the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), there has been a significant increase in Indians attempting to enter the US illegally, with 96,917 recorded in the fiscal year 2023, representing a 51.61 percent jump from the previous year.

Of particular concern is the method employed by some migrants, known as ‘dunki’ flights, where individuals transit through third countries with lenient travel document requirements to reach their final destinations.

Why It Was Grounded

The flight – a charter service from Dubai – had landed at the airport, which is around 160 km from Paris, to refuel. It was then grounded after a tip-off the passengers were “likely to be victims of human trafficking”.

According to news agency AFP sources, the plane may be linked to a crime syndicate attempting to smuggle individuals into the United States. The investigation is now under the jurisdiction of France’s anti-organised crime unit, JUNALCO.

Human trafficking, if proven, carries severe consequences in France, with a potential sentence of up to 20 years. 

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, in his sharpest attack on Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, said this evening that he doesn’t consider him a Sikh as he “does not know the history of Sikhs”.

“I do not consider him (Bhagwant Mann) a Sikh. He wears a turban to show that he is a Sikh. He does not know the history of Sikhs. We feel sad when we see him and hear his statements,” he said during a meeting with Sikh groups in Delhi.

He also drew a comparison between Muslim and Sikh leaderships vis-a-vis their populations.

“The population of Muslims in the country is about 18 per cent but they have no leadership because they are not united. We are 2 per cent but we are united under Sri Akal Takht Sahib,” he said.

Mr Badal also claimed the Punjab government is being run by Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal. “They (AAP) are looting Punjab and Arvind Kejriwal is the Chief Minister of Punjab, not Bhagwant Mann,” the Akali leader said.

The AAP stormed to power in Punjab with a landslide victory in the 2022 state polls, bagging 92 seats in the 117-member Assembly and trouncing the Congress that managed to win 18 seats.

The 61-year-old leader today met the members of the Sikh Sangat of Sri Patna Sahib (Bihar) and Mumbai (Maharashtra) at the party’s Delhi State unit president S Paramjit Singh Sarna’s residence. He announced that “Shiromani Akali Dal will establish party units in all States having Sikh population”.

He urged the community to stay united: “I appeal to all of you not to be divided and remain united…Shiromani Akali Dal will establish party units in all the states…”

The meeting also witnessed veteran Akali leader S Manjit Singh GK rejoining the Shiromani Akali Dal along with his entire Jago party team. “I am sure this unity will not only strengthen the Sikh community, but pave the way for resolution of all our pending demands,” said Mr Badal.

“This is part of a process to effect Panthic unity in the Sikh quom. The community is facing various challenges and the resolution of all can only be achieved we all get united under the flag of the Panth – that of the Shiromani Akali Dal,” he added.

Earlier this month, he had appealed to dissident Akali leaders to shun their differences to come under one flag.

“Those who have ‘Panthic’ thinking, who have Shiromani Akali Dal in their hearts and blood, Shiromani Akali Dal is only one and those factions which want to divide, I want to tell them that there is a strength in unity,” he said while addressing a gathering at gurdwara Shaheed Baba Gurbaksh Singh at the Akal Takht in Amritsar.

Over two dozen passengers on board the charter plane held in France for days over suspected human trafficking stayed back despite the aircraft flying out to Mumbai after legal clearances.

These include 20 adults and five minors who have sought asylum in France, said a local official, without identifying their nationality. Their applications would be processed at the Paris airport.

Asylum seekers can’t be sent back to their country of origin under international law.

Two others questioned by the French police over suspected trafficking stayed back too, but they have received expulsion order from France, their lawyer said.

They were released after the cops were convinced the passengers had boarded the flight out of free will, reports suggest.

Their lawyer said the judge was able to “resist media pressure in this case”, which led to their release.

The plane belonging to Romania’s Legend Airlines landed in Mumbai early this morning with 276 passengers after a go-ahead from a French judge. It departed Vatry around 2:30 pm (local time) and reached Mumbai just after 4 am (IST).

It is not known exactly how many Indians are among the 276 passengers and what nationality are the other flyers.

The Nicaragua-bound Airbus A340 was carrying 303 passengers, most of them Indians, when it reached Vatry airport near Paris last Friday. It was grounded on its arrival from Dubai for refuelling after an anonymous tip-off that the passengers could be potential trafficking victims.

French authorities are still probing the case for immigration law violation, not human trafficking any more, reports suggest citing judicial sources.

Nicaragua in central America is a popular destination for immigrants to cross into the US illegally.

Nearly 97 lakh Indians have tried to enter the US illegally in the financial year 2023, a whopping 51.61 percent jump from the previous year as per US official data. At least 41,770 of those Indians tried to cross the Mexican land border into the US, the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) data showed.

Flights to Nicaragua or other countries where one can easily obtain travel documents are known as ‘dunki’ flights.