Plane with Indians allowed to leave after 3 days of grounding in France

PTC News Desk: A Nicaragua-bound flight which was carrying 303 passengers, mostly Indians, was allowed to resume its journey on Monday. This comes three days after it was grounded by the French authorities at an airport near Paris for suspected "human trafficking."

The French judges decided to cancel the hearings of the over 300 passengers after authorising the plane's departure due to procedural irregularities, according to BFM TV, a French news broadcast television and radio network.

Four French judges began questioning the 303 passengers detained by French authorities at Vatry airport, 150 kilometres east of Paris, on suspicion of "human trafficking" earlier in the day.

The hearings were held as part of a probe launched by the Paris prosecutor's office on suspicion of human trafficking.

The plane is scheduled to take off again on Monday. Its final destination is unknown. It could fly to India, where the passengers are from, Nicaragua, its original destination, or Dubai, where it took off, according to the reports.

According to French media, some of the passengers spoke Hindi and others Tamil and are thought to have called their families. According to a source close to the case, ten of the passengers have requested asylum.

According to French prosecutors, the plane contained 11 unaccompanied minors and two passengers who have been detained since Friday had their detention extended on Saturday evening for up to 48 hours.

Legend Airlines, a Romanian charter company, owns the aircraft. Liliana Bakayoko, a lawyer for the firm, denied any involvement in the trafficking.