Vueling Airlines is under increasing scrutiny after it was revealed that the pilot involved in removing more than 50 Jewish French teenagers from a flight earlier this week had, in a previous career as a flight instructor in the United States, trained two of the terrorists responsible for the September 11 attacks.
The pilot, Iván Chirivella, has been identified in Vueling’s own official statement as the captain operating flight VY8166 from Barcelona to Paris on July 24, during which dozens of Jewish teens were removed from the aircraft following what the airline described as “repeated safety violations.” Passengers and community leaders, however, have alleged that the teens were expelled for speaking Hebrew and for visibly identifying as Jewish.
Chirivella, originally from the Canary Islands, worked as a flight instructor in Florida in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In his 2003 memoir Cómplice e Inocente (“Accomplice and Innocent”), published by Editorial Martínez Roca, Chirivella recounts his experience training two of the eventual 9/11 hijackers, Mohamed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi — at a U.S. flight school, a detail he later confirmed in Spanish media interviews.
In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Chirivella cooperated with U.S. investigators and was never accused of wrongdoing. He eventually returned to Spain and began working for Vueling in 2006, where he has since logged more than 12,500 flight hours and helped train over 100 pilots, according to the airline’s own statement.
The July 24 incident sparked backlash after videos circulated on social media showing dozens of teens and their chaperones being removed from the plane by Spanish police. Some witnesses claimed that the group was targeted after one teen spoke Hebrew aloud. One adult passenger stated that crew members had asked whether the teens were Israeli before initiating their removal.
In its official explanation, Vueling cited “disruptive behavior,” including alleged tampering with safety equipment, as the reason for the group’s removal. The airline said the decision was taken in consultation with the Spanish Civil Guard and in line with European aviation safety protocols.
Jewish organizations in France and Israel have called for an independent investigation, claiming that the removals were motivated by prejudice rather than legitimate safety concerns. Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli condemned the incident as “a disturbing act of antisemitism.”
While Chirivella’s past role in training two of the 9/11 hijackers had been publicly known for years, its resurfacing in light of this recent controversy has intensified calls for Vueling to review its personnel policies and explain its decision-making during the incident.
As of Thursday evening, Vueling has said it will continue investigating the matter but maintains that the passengers were removed “solely for safety reasons.”
