Images of Muslim travellers in collective prayer at a French airport have caused controversy, with the government vowing “firmness” and the airport operator describing the incident as regrettable, AFP reports.

The pictures shared virally on Sunday through social media showed several dozen travellers in the departures hall of Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris praying together ahead of a flight to Jordan.

It was notably shared on social media by Noelle Lenoir, a former European affairs minister under right-wing president Jacques Chirac.

“What does the CEO of Aeroports de Paris do when his airport is transformed into a mosque? Is the change in status official?” she asked sarcastically.

The controversy sparked by the images comes as tensions rise in France over the conflict between Hamas and Israel. France is home to large Muslim and Jewish communities.

Transport Minister Clement Beaune wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that airport authorities were fully committed to implementing rules and vowed “firmness”.

The prayer at terminal 2B of France’s largest airport, in which around 30 travellers took part, lasted around 10 minutes, an airport source who asked not to be named told AFP.

France is strictly secular and there are limits on displays of religious belief in public spaces such as schools and public buildings including airports.

“This is a regrettable first,” the chief executive of operator Aeroports de Paris (ADP), Augustin de Romanet, wrote on X. “Dedicated places of worship exist,” he added.

“The border police have been instructed to prohibit this and will increase their vigilance.”

De Romanet also warned against exaggerating the incident “at this time”, in an apparent allusion to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.