Woman Caught Smuggling Child In Bag Onto Air France Flight Will Not Face Charges

Woman Caught Smuggling 4-Year-Old In Bag Onto Air France Flight Will Escape Charges
|

The French national was travelling from Istanbul to Paris when passengers alerted cabin crew to a child hidden in a cloth bag by her feet.

The woman is reported to have been in the process of adopting the girl from Haiti.

A passenger named Vincent said: "The cloth bag belonged to a woman sat at the back of the plane. At one point she opened the bag and her neighbour on the other row of seats saw something moving inside.

"He alerted flight attendants, who then discovered a baby,"

The woman was in the transit zone in Istanbul and had been prevented from boarding the flight with her child. She then bought a ticket for herself and smuggled the child on board.

Authorities were alerted and she was arrested upon landing but prosecutors decided not to press charges.

Air France said in a statement: "According to the initial information in its possession, Air France indicates that an adult is reported to have travelled accompanied by a child hidden in a bag without a valid transport ticket.

"The company requested the presence of the French authorities on the flight's arrival.

"Air France will fully cooperate with the investigation underway being conducted by the competent authorities.

"Flight Air France 1891 departed from Istanbul Ataturk (IST) on Monday March 7, 2016 at 18:31 and arrived at Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) at 21:01 (local time)."