Jewish group was removed from a Vueling flight on July 23 over 'disruptive behavior', as airline denies antisemitism claims
Spanish airline Vueling has launched an internal investigation after a group of French Jews were removed from one of its flights earlier this week over "highly disruptive behavior", the company’s CEO Carolina Martinoli told French officials.
French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke with Martinoli on Saturday, expressing his "deep emotion" over the incident and requesting clarification on whether the passengers were subjected to discrimination based on their religion, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Martinoli assured the minister that a "rigorous internal investigation" was underway and that the findings would be shared with French and Spanish authorities.
A similar approach was also made to the Spanish ambassador to France, the statement added.
The development came after reports emerged that around 50 Jewish children and their 21-year-old summer camp director were removed from a Vueling flight from Valencia to Paris on Wednesday.
Israeli media and social media users alleged the group was disembarked after some children, aged 10 to 15, were heard singing songs in Hebrew.
In response, Vueling “categorically denied” allegations of antisemitism in a statement on Thursday, saying the decision was based solely on safety concerns due to the group's "highly disruptive behavior."
According to the airline, the group interfered with emergency equipment, disrupted the mandatory safety demonstration, and repeatedly ignored instructions from the cabin crew.
The airline further claimed that once at the terminal, some group members "remained aggressive," and one person was arrested for displaying "violent behavior" toward authorities.
