A Nicaragua-bound flight carrying 303 passengers, mainly Indians, was allowed to depart Paris on Monday after a three-day detention due to suspected human trafficking, according to French media reports Sunday.
Despite initial authorization for the A340 aircraft, operated by Romanian carrier Legend Airlines, to leave, French judges opted to cancel hearings for the passengers citing procedural irregularities, reported BFM TV, a French news network.
The hearings were conducted as part of the investigation opened by the Paris prosecutor's office on suspicion of human trafficking. The plane is expected to take off again on Monday morning. Its destination is not yet known. It could travel to India, where the passengers are from, to Nicaragua, its original destination, or to Dubai, from where it took off, it added.
According to the French media, some of the passengers spoke Hindi and others Tamil and are believed to have contacted their families by telephone. Ten of the passengers have requested asylum, the newspaper quoted a source close to the case as saying. The plane includes 11 unaccompanied minors and two passengers in custody since Friday had their detention extended on Saturday evening for up to 48 hours, according to French prosecutors.
The aircraft is owned by Romanian charter company Legend Airlines. A lawyer for the firm, Liliana Bakayoko, denied any involvement in the trafficking.