An Airbus A340 plane was seized on December 21, 2023 by authorities in France, who received an anonymous tip. Carrying 303 Indian citizens, including 13 unaccompanied minors, the plane was on its way from Fujairah, United Arab Emirates to Managua, Nicaragua.

When the plane stopped over at Châlons Vatry Airport in Vatry, Châlons-en-Champagne, Marne, Grand Est, France, it was grounded by French authorities at the airport on suspicion of human trafficking. Emergency services in Marne installed makeshift beds at the airport for the stranded passengers and gave meals, drinks and access to toilets and showers.

Officials from the Indian general consulate in France regularly visited the stranded passengers at the airport. The unaccompanied minors were turned over to government agencies for care.

The plane belongs to Legend Airlines, a startup airline founded in 2020 and headquartered in Bucharest, Romania. On December 23, 2023, the airline’s lawyer Liliana Bakayoko told BFMTV that the interrogations of the plane’s crew members have ended and none of them was taken into custody.

According to Bakayoko, Legend Airlines did not participate in the ticket selling for the flight. The company that chartered the plane had been a loyal client of the airline and had chartered several flights before, she said.

On December 24, 2023, the Indian passengers appeared before judges in France. Later that day, the plane was allowed to depart.

Two of the passengers were questioned by French authorities. The prosecutor’s office in Paris, France are monitoring the two passengers, who are still in custody.

India’s 14th and incumbent prime minister Narendra Modi, 73, assumed office on May 26, 2014. France’s 25th and incumbent president Emmanuel Macron, 46, assumed office on May 14, 2017.