Paris, July 27, 2025 – The Europe Today: French authorities are investigating whether a group of young French citizens were removed from a Vueling flight bound for Paris from Spain due to their Jewish identity. The airline has strongly denied the claims, stating that the passengers were removed solely due to unruly behavior.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, when dozens of French passengers — including 44 minors and 8 adults — were taken off flight V8166 departing from Valencia, Spain to Paris. Spanish police and Vueling Airlines reported that the group exhibited disruptive behavior, including tampering with emergency equipment and ignoring safety instructions.
France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, expressed his concern to Vueling CEO Carolina Martinoli, specifically about the reports that those removed were young French Jews. Barrot requested clarity to determine whether the removal was based on religious discrimination.
A similar request was made to the Spanish ambassador to France. According to the French ministry, Martinoli assured Barrot that Vueling has initiated a full internal investigation and will share its findings with both French and Spanish authorities.
Israeli media reported that the group was Jewish and that their removal may have been religiously motivated — a claim echoed by an Israeli minister online. However, Spain’s Civil Guard confirmed that the individuals removed were French nationals and stated that the agents involved were unaware of the group’s religious identity.
Vueling maintained that the decision to remove the group was based solely on safety concerns, citing repeated violations of in-flight safety protocol.
On Thursday, the Federation for Jewish Communities of Spain called on Vueling to provide documented evidence of the incident and expressed concern about the potential implications.
