Spanish Airline Denies Reports of Removing Passengers Due to Religious Beliefs
Vueling Airlines refutes claims that the removal of French passengers from a flight was religiously motivated.
Several dozen French passengers were removed from a flight departing from Valencia, Spain, bound for Paris, due to unruly behavior according to Spanish police and Vueling Airlines.
The incident involved the removal of 44 minors and eight adults from flight V8166 on Wednesday.
Israeli news outlets reported that the students are Jewish and suggested their removal was religiously motivated, a claim repeated by an Israeli minister online.
However, both Spanish authorities and Vueling deny any religious motives for the actions taken.The Civil Guard in Spain confirmed that all passengers involved are French nationals but emphasized that neither they nor the airline were aware of any specific religious affiliation.
According to Vueling, the behavior of the passengers was highly disruptive, including tampering with emergency equipment and interrupting the safety briefing.
The airline stated it strictly denies any claims linking such actions to religion.The removal of the minors from the flight occurred after repeated violations of crew instructions by the passengers, ultimately leading to the decision by the plane's captain at Valencia’s Manizes Airport.
The Federation for Jewish Communities of Spain expressed concern over the incident and called for evidence to clarify the events and potential religious motives involved in the case.
Despite these concerns, Vueling maintains that the actions taken were solely related to ensuring the safe operation of the flight.Arrangements have been made to accommodate the minors overnight at a hotel before further transport out of Valencia later on Thursday.
The Civil Guard is working on organizing alternative flights for the group, including those traveling with another airline.
The incident involved the removal of 44 minors and eight adults from flight V8166 on Wednesday.
Israeli news outlets reported that the students are Jewish and suggested their removal was religiously motivated, a claim repeated by an Israeli minister online.
However, both Spanish authorities and Vueling deny any religious motives for the actions taken.The Civil Guard in Spain confirmed that all passengers involved are French nationals but emphasized that neither they nor the airline were aware of any specific religious affiliation.
According to Vueling, the behavior of the passengers was highly disruptive, including tampering with emergency equipment and interrupting the safety briefing.
The airline stated it strictly denies any claims linking such actions to religion.The removal of the minors from the flight occurred after repeated violations of crew instructions by the passengers, ultimately leading to the decision by the plane's captain at Valencia’s Manizes Airport.
The Federation for Jewish Communities of Spain expressed concern over the incident and called for evidence to clarify the events and potential religious motives involved in the case.
Despite these concerns, Vueling maintains that the actions taken were solely related to ensuring the safe operation of the flight.Arrangements have been made to accommodate the minors overnight at a hotel before further transport out of Valencia later on Thursday.
The Civil Guard is working on organizing alternative flights for the group, including those traveling with another airline.
