'Dunki' plane, grounded in France, returns to Mumbai; passengers questioned by authorities

Mumbai: A plane carrying 276 persons - which was grounded in France over suspected human trafficking for a few days - returned to Mumbai on Tuesday.

The Airbus A340, operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines, landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai shortly after 4 am.

It had taken off from Vatry airport near Paris around 2.30 pm local time.

After the passengers landed in the Mumbai airport, they were questioned by aviation and security authorities and their statements were recorded before they exited.

According to French authorities, the plane had 276 passengers on board when it took off for Mumbai, as 25 persons, including two minors, had expressed the wish to apply for asylum and were still on French soil. Two others were held, produced before a judge and placed on assisted witness status, a French news channel said.

The French authorities had grounded a passenger plane carrying 303 Indian citizens, including 11 unaccompanied minors, at the airport of Vatry, on suspicion of human trafficking.

Makeshift beds were arranged for the stranded passengers, who were given access to toilets and showers and provided meals and hot drinks in the hall of Vatry airport, the official had said.

The flight, which was operated by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines and bound for Nicaragua, had landed at Vatry on Thursday for a technical stopover en route from Dubai when French police intervened.

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 percent 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 'dunki' flights.

(With PTI inputs)