France seizes jet at takeoff after Ryanair doesn't pay bill

Storms, strikes, computer failures — you can now add "your plane has been seized by the government" to the list of things that can delay your flight. In France, 149 passengers were preparing to take off for London late Thursday when French authorities ordered their Ryanair Boeing 737 impounded. The budget carrier owed money and it was "regrettable that the state was forced" to evacuate the plane, the civil aviation authority said. The passengers had gone through passport control and security and were about to walk on the tarmac to board the plane when airport authorities told them to turn around, passenger Boris Hejblum said. "The airport staff told us there was an issue with the plane," he said. No Ryanair staff members were available, and the only communication from the airline was two text messages saying simply that the departure was delayed, and a 5-euro ($5.75) voucher for food, the 30-year-old Frenchman said. "I found it strange that the police were the only ones giving us information," he said. The passengers were put on another flight that finally brought them to London's Stansted airport — five hours late. The multi-million dollar jet, meanwhile, was released only Friday after Ryanair paid a bill of E525,000.<br/>