Nicaragua-bound plane back in India: All you need to know about grueling 'Dunki' flights

With reports of 25 of the original 303 passengers staying back in France seeking asylum, the focus is back on illegal immigration and the concept of 'donkey flights'.

'Dunki maar k jayenge', a confident salt-and-pepper haired Shah Rukh Khan tells his friends in the superstar's recently released comedy-drama film, with the air of a man who has done it in the past to survive the arduous journey. So was it just mere coincidence or yet another case of reel-life mirroring the real when a flight on its way to Nicaragua with 303 Indians was grounded at France's Châlons Vatry airport?

The Airbus A340, operated by Romania's Legend Airlines, was initially grounded in the European country on suspicions of human trafficking. It was finally allowed to fly out to India's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai with 276 persons. So what happened to the others?

With 25 of the original 303 passengers having stayed back in France seeking asylum, the focus is back on illegal immigration and the concept of 'donkey flights' amid the recent release of the Rajkumar Hirani movie.

What are 'donkey flights'?

Donkey or 'dunki' flights as they are are known in Punjab are essentially illegal immigration techniques used to gain unauthorised entry into the Western nations US, UK and Canada in search of 'greener pastures'. The illegal commuting process has gained takers in recent years among many Indian, Pakistani nationals and even some from other third-world countries.

According to Migration Policy Institute, the term comes from the Punjabi idiom meaning to hop from place to place.

The process involves illegal border crossings, hiding in ships and containers and also poses the risk of being caught and being deported.

Searching 'greener pastures'

The obsession of going abroad for a 'better life' has resulted in increased incidents of people opting for 'donkey flights', risking their life and giving money to illegal 'agents' who promise to help with illegal border crossings.

While the obvious legal process includes those who obtain visas for education and work in US and UK, the 'donkey flight' way is availed by the ones who cannot do so by legal means or monetary means.

The hopefuls often sell off ancestral lands or put in saved money to finance these illegal methods of travelling.

Countries in central America such as Mexico, Nicaragua are often seen as a gateway to 'backdoor entry' into US.

What figures say

A recent report cited in the winter session of the Parliament said that the American homeland security data has said US authorities 'encountered' over 200,000 illegal Indian immigrants in the last five years with the highest cases of 96,917 reported in 2022-23.

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, while presenting the data, also said that the MEA has taken several initiatives to promote legal migration.

Coming back to the flight grounded at the French airport, the plane reportedly also had 11 unaccompanied minors amid the 303 passengers heading for the Central American country.

A report in The Print had said that Legend Airlines had previously flown at least two aircrafts to Nicaragua's capital of Managua from France since December 15, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24.

A total of 27 passengers are still on French soil. Out of them, 2 were held and produced before a judge and were placed on assisted witness status, a French news channel reported.