A chartered flight from Dubai to Jamaica, carrying 218 Indian nationals, was abruptly halted upon arrival in Kingston on May 2nd due to concerns over potential illegal immigration. Despite the passengers’ intentions for tourism, Jamaican authorities raised doubts about their status, prompting the flight’s redirection back to Dubai.
“There were 220 Indians onboard the chartered flight which took off from Dubai. These included 5 children and 198 women,” a source confirmed to Financial Express Online.
“These passengers were heading to Honduras in Central America, before finding their way to the US,” the source added.
The flight, originating from Germany and making a stopover in Dubai, lacked the necessary approvals to land in Jamaica, including a passenger manifest.
Upon arrival at Jamaica Norman Manley International Airport, authorities discovered glaring irregularities: the flight had failed to disclose its destination to Jamaican authorities, and there were no arrangements in place for the passengers’ return journey. Despite these concerns, airport authorities permitted the aircraft to land, allowing passengers to disembark. They were then granted permission to stay at an upscale hotel in Downtown Kingston, albeit under police guard, due to the lack of detention facilities at the airport.
Was Jamaica the final destination?
No. The Jamaican authorities acted on an anonymous tip and grounded a flight from Dubai which was headed to an unknown destination in South America with 218 Indian passengers. The authorities notified the German Embassy in Kingston as the chartered flight a white and blue Airbus A-340 was registered in Germany. The flight path it took was complicated. It first landed in Dubai, picked up the Indian passengers, then it reached Cairo where it took onboard some Uzbek passengers before taking off for a 19-hour long flight to Jamaica.
According to the source, “The flight landed in the Caribbean nation to refuel before going onwards to its destination in Central America.”
Was Honduras their final destination? No. Their destination was the Us and Canada.
Ministry of External Affairs Responds to Financial Express
Responding to Financial Express Online, official spokesperson of MEA, Randhir Jaiswal said: “We understand that a Germany registered chartered flight with Indians on board landed in Kingston from Dubai on May 2 for tourism purposes. They had prior hotel bookings. The local authorities were not satisfied with them as tourists.
“The flight and passengers were ordered to return to their place of origin-Dubai. The passengers left Kingston on May 7,” the official spokesperson added.
After three days of deliberation and diplomatic negotiations, the flight departed Kingston on May 7th, returning to its origin in Dubai. The incident sheds light on the challenges and complexities surrounding international travel, particularly amidst heightened concerns over illegal immigration and border security.
While the exact circumstances surrounding the passengers’ intentions remain unclear, according to sources the final destination for these passengers was not only the US but Canada too.
Illegal Human trafficking
According to sources there has been a significant rise in the illegal human trafficking through South America towards the US. The number of people who pay a large sum of money to the handlers to reach their dream destination has gone up from 15,000 to 150,000 in 2024. They are mostly from Punjab and other states.