VATRY, France — A charter plane that stopped in France for a human trafficking investigation left for India on Monday, after a Christmas ordeal that left about 300 Indians en route to Central America stranded inside a rural French airport for four days.
Associated Press reporters outside Vatry airport in the Champagne country watched the unmarked Legend Airlines A340 take off after the crew and about 200 others boarded the plane.
It was not immediately clear what would happen to those who did not board the plane.
Among the passengers who landed in France were a 21-month-old child and 11 unaccompanied minors who were placed under special administrative care.
Several passengers have requested asylum in France, according to an official from the Marne regional prefecture.
Two passengers were detained and will appear before a judge on Monday to face possible charges, including participation in an organized criminal group that helps foreigners enter or remain in a country illegally, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.
It did not specify whether human trafficking, which the UN defines as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit” , remains suspected, as prosecutors initially said.
The plane was grounded after authorities received an anonymous tip that it might be carrying victims of human trafficking. AP Photo/Christophe Ena
French authorities are still investigating the purpose of the original flight.
The Legend Airlines A340 plane stopped to refuel in Vatry on Thursday en route from Fujairah airport in the United Arab Emirates to Managua, Nicaragua, and was grounded by police due to an anonymous complaint that it could be carrying victims of human trafficking.
Prosecutors would not comment on whether the passengers’ final destination could have been the United States, which has seen an increase in Indians crossing the Mexico-U.S. border this year.
Two passengers on the flight were detained and face charges in France. AP
The airport was commandeered by police for days and then on Sunday became a makeshift courtroom as judges, lawyers and interpreters packed the terminal to hold emergency hearings to determine next steps.
Lawyers at Sunday’s hearings protested authorities’ overall handling of the situation and the rights of passengers.
French authorities worked through Christmas Eve and Christmas morning on formalities to allow passengers to leave France, regional prosecutor Annick Browne told The Associated Press.
The Legend Airlines A340 plane taking off for India. AP Photo/Christophe En
Legend Airlines lawyer Liliana Bakayoko said it received approval from French authorities to carry 301 of the 303 passengers on a direct flight to Mumbai on Monday, but the final figure is expected to be lower.
Bakayoko said some other passengers don’t want to go to India because they paid for a sightseeing trip to Nicaragua. The airline has denied any involvement in possible human trafficking.
Foreigners can stay up to four days in a transit zone for police investigations in France, after which a special judge must decide whether to extend that period to eight days.
Local officials, doctors and volunteers set up cots and ensured regular meals and showers for detainees at Vatry Airport.
The United States government has designated Nicaragua as one of several countries considered not to meet minimum standards to eliminate human trafficking.
Nicaragua has also been used as a migration springboard for people fleeing poverty or conflict due to relaxed or visa-free entry requirements for some countries. Sometimes charter flights are used for the trip.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn