France has impounded a plane operated by budget carrier Ryanair at Bordeaux Airport in order to recoup state aid paid to the Irish airline, aviation authorities said on Friday.

The plane's 149 passengers, heading to London, were already on board and had to disembark when the aircraft was seized on Thursday evening, the airport said.

The passengers experienced a five-hour delay but made it to their destination with a later Ryanair flight, France's civil aviation directorate said.

It was "regrettable" that the plane had to be impounded "as a last resort" after several efforts to get Ryanair to repay the subsidies had failed, the directorate said.

In 2014, the European Commission said Ryanair had to repay 858,000 euros' (973,000 dollars') worth of rebates and marketing arrangements it received at Angouleme airport.

The EU at the time also ordered authorities to recoup money from Ryanair and Transavia over benefits they had received at two other French regional airports.

Ryanair did not immediately respond to a request for comment.