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A Ryanair plane sits on the tarmac at the Bordeaux-Mérignac airport in southwestern France on Friday, after being seized by the French authorities.
(AP)
French authorities ordered the evacuation of passengers on board an aircraft bound for London this week, after it was revealed that the carrier owed a significant amount of money from of 2014.
The Ryanair Boeing 737 was impounded and the 149 passengers were asked to turn around and return to the Bordeaux-Mérignac airport, in western France.
The travelers were left out of the loop for most of the test, with only two text messages telling them that the departure was delayed and that they would receive vouchers worth $ 25. 39, about $ 6 for food. A passenger told the Associated Press that the airport authorities had told them that there was a problem with the plane.
In fact, the Ryanair plane was seized because of late invoices.
Ryanair had been condemned for some time to repay funds that the European Union had declared to be illegal subsidies.
The spokesman for the French aviation agency, Eric Heraud, said that the regional authorities that had originally granted subsidies to the carrier had been trying since 2014 to recover the money. A final legal warning was sent in May, but after six months without Ryanair's response, it was time to act.
The plane was not released until Ryanair paid a bill of $ 610,000.
The cheap airliner is well known in Europe for its cheap airline tickets, which come with additional fares, including food and carry-on baggage that is larger than a purse.
Thursday's flight passengers boarded another plane, which then flew them to London's Stansted airport five hours late.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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