The current scenario involves 303 Indian nationals who are currently being attended to by the Indian embassy in conjunction with the French government at Vatry airport, positioned 150 kilometers east of Paris. The primary focus of this collaborative effort is to ensure the well-being of these individuals and expedite a timely resolution to the existing circumstances. In light of this, consular personnel from the embassy have been deployed to the airport, expressing gratitude to the French authorities for their dedicated efforts, particularly during the extensive holiday period.
The background leading to the current situation can be traced back to an unfortunate incident where French authorities took action to ground a flight originating from the United Arab Emirates en route to Nicaragua, carrying the aforementioned 303 Indian passengers. The decision to halt the flight was triggered by a tip indicating potential human trafficking involvement associated with the flight.
This situation arose from an anonymous warning suggesting that the flight, operated by the Romania-based charter company Legend Airlines, might be engaged in trafficking victims. Consequently, the flight was grounded on Thursday after a refueling stop at Vatry, located to the east of Paris.
Among the passengers on board are families, including children, with the youngest being a 21-month-old toddler, along with 13 unaccompanied minors. Following the grounding of the Legend Airlines charter flight from Fujairah airport in the UAE to Managua, Nicaragua, the 15 crew members underwent questioning but were subsequently released, according to a lawyer representing the Romanian-based airline.
Providing consular access to Indian nationals, the Indian embassy confirmed on Friday that French officials were conducting inspections regarding the conditions of transportation, especially for minors, and understanding the purpose of their journey. Reports from Paris suggested that two individuals were detained on allegations of human trafficking, and once their identities are verified and legal procedures are completed, the passengers, mainly hailing from Punjab and Gujarat, are anticipated to undergo deportation procedures.
There are indications that these passengers may have intended to travel to Central America to make illicit attempts at entry into the United States or Canada. Following their landing in France, the passengers initially remained confined to the aircraft but were subsequently allowed to disembark and provided individual accommodations within the airport terminal, as reported by Flightradar. The fleet of Legend Airlines, consisting of only four aircraft, including an unmarked Airbus jet, remains immobilized on the tarmac at Vatry as of Saturday, with the airline disclosing minimal flights on this route, all for a single non-European client.
