A Vueling Airlines flight from Valencia, Spain, to Paris-Orly was significantly delayed on July 24, 2025, after approximately 50 French Jewish children and their supervisors were forcibly removed by Spanish police. The incident, which led to the arrest of their 21-year-old camp director, sparked a dispute between the airline and passengers over the reasons for their disembarkation, drawing accusations of antisemitism. The group was returning from a summer camp when the confrontation escalated on board.
Vueling stated that the disembarkation was "solely for safety reasons," asserting that some passengers engaged in "highly disruptive behavior," tampered with emergency equipment, and repeatedly ignored crew instructions during the safety demonstration. The airline maintained that its crew acted professionally and in accordance with established safety protocols, requesting police intervention when the situation could not be controlled. Vueling "categorically denied any claims linking the crew’s decision to the religious expression of the passengers involved."
Conversely, parents and community leaders accused Vueling of discrimination, claiming the incident began after one child sang a Hebrew song. According to parent Karine Lamy, crew members threatened to call the police if the singing continued, despite the child immediately stopping. Witnesses contradicted Vueling's claims of disruptive behavior, with one independent passenger stating the group boarded calmly and behaved well. Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli condemned the event as a "disturbing antisemitic incident," alleging crew members called Israel a "terrorist state."
Video footage circulated online showed Spanish police forcibly removing the 21-year-old supervisor, who was handcuffed and taken into custody. Reports from parents indicated that law enforcement officers demanded children place their mobile phones on the ground, allegedly to prevent or delete any recordings of the incident. This echoes a recent complaint by passenger Arthur B., who shared on social media:
"Today I got yelled at by the attendant in a @vueling flight for getting up to use the restroom. The seatbelt sign was off, but “they meant to have it on”. I filmed the interaction. The cabin chief threatened to call the police if I didn't delete the evidence in front of them. Probably a bluff, but didn't want to risk the headache. Petty tyrants, the French holiday camp story isn't surprising." Both incidents highlight concerns over Vueling crew conduct and alleged threats involving police for filming.
The incident has prompted calls for investigation from French authorities and raised concerns among Jewish community organizations in Spain regarding Vueling's conduct. It has led to public outcry and a #BoycottVueling campaign on social media, impacting the airline's reputation. The repeated accusations of heavy-handed crew responses and threats involving police, as highlighted by both the Jewish children's incident and Arthur B.'s account, underscore a growing scrutiny of Vueling's passenger management practices.