A lawyer for Legend Airlines, whose plane was grounded in France over an allegation of probable human trafficking, has said some passengers did not want to go to India because they were tourists and had paid for a tourism trip to Nicaragua.
The airline has also denied any role in possible human trafficking.
A total of 303 passengers had originally boarded the Legend Airlines A340 plane last week in Fujairah airport in the United Arab Emirates for a flight to Managua, Nicaragua.
When the plane stopped in France's Vatry Airport in Champagne country for refueling Thursday, it was grounded by police based on an anonymous tip that it could be carrying human trafficking victims. The Vatry airport was requisitioned by police for days, the Associated Press reported.
The plane was authorised to leave on Monday and took off for Mumbai. Local French authorities said that 276 of the original 303 passengers boarded the flight to India, and 25 others requested asylum in France.
"Thank French Gov and Vatry Airport for quick resolution of the situation enabling Indian passengers to return home...," the Indian Embassy wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
French authorities launched a judicial investigation into the conditions and purpose of the trip, with a unit specialising in organised crime investigating suspected human trafficking.
Nicaragua has become a popular destination for those seeking asylum in the US. As many as 96,917 Indians attempted to enter the US illegally in the financial year 2023, signalling a 51.61 per cent jump from the previous year, according to data made available by the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).
At least 41,770 of those Indians attempted to enter the US via the Mexican land border, CBP data shows. Flights to Nicaragua or third countries where obtaining travel documents is easy have come to be known as 'donkey' or 'dunki' flights.
(With agency inputs)
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