National disabled athletes left stranded at Fiumicino despite months-old written authorisation, sparking a regulator probe and government anger.Italy's Paralympic powerchair football squad was left stranded at Rome's Fiumicino airport on Sunday after EasyJet refused to let the full team board a flight to Glasgow, triggering an investigation by aviation regulator ENAC and a furious response from government ministers.The six-strong national team, fielded by the Italian Powerchair Sports Federation (FIPPS), was due to fly to Scotland for an international tournament serving as preparation for the forthcoming World Championships in Argentina. According to the Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP), the federation had requested and received formal authorisation from EasyJet as far back as April to transport six athletes with disabilities, along with both their everyday wheelchairs and six specialist sports wheelchairs. A further written confirmation was sent by the federation shortly before departure as a precaution. Despite this, with the flight scheduled for 11.55, the airline informed the team at 10.15 that it could not board the full delegation, citing a limit of five wheelchairs aboard the Airbus A320. EasyJet's proposed fix - splitting the party, leaving one athlete behind and rerouting the sports wheelchairs on a separate flight to Edinburgh rather than Glasgow - was branded "surreal" by the CIP, which said it insulted the team's sporting preparation and the respect owed to a national side representing Italy abroad. CIP president Marco Giunio De Sanctis called the episode "extremely serious," saying it violated the athletes' personal dignity and the fundamental values of sport, and warned that denying athletes their mobility aids amounted to denying them their own autonomy and identity. Airport operator distances itself Rome airports operator AdR said its ground-assistance staff had accompanied the athletes to the gate as normal, only to be told by EasyJet that the passengers would not be accepted, for reasons unknown to AdR.   It said no further request was made to rebook the athletes onto other flights, and that it had asked the airline to explain what had gone wrong. Regulator opens inquiry, EasyJet apologises Italy's civil aviation authority, ENAC, said it had opened an investigation to establish whether failures occurred in the assistance-booking process or in communications with EasyJet, and to determine whether the airline had breached EU rules protecting the mobility rights of disabled passengers - with sanctions possible if violations are confirmed.   EasyJet later apologised, saying it was "deeply sorry for the experience" of the powerchair squad, that it had launched an internal investigation, and that it remained in contact with the passengers while working on a solution. The airline said accessible travel was a priority and it was treating the matter "with the utmost seriousness." Government reaction Disabilities minister Alessandra Locatelli called the episode "extremely serious and unacceptable," noting the airline had granted authorisation months in advance yet still failed the athletes.   Sport minister Andrea Abodi described it as "a matter of extreme gravity," saying preventing athletes from boarding with equipment essential to competing - despite everything having been communicated to the airline for months - was "inconceivable and unacceptable," and demanded action from the bodies responsible for policing airport assistance and airline obligations to disabled passengers.   Photo credit: Pavel1964 / Shutterstock.com

Italy's Paralympic powerchair football squad was left stranded at Rome's Fiumicino airport on Sunday after EasyJet refused to let the full team board a flight to Glasgow, triggering an investigation by aviation regulator ENAC and a furious response from government ministers. The six-strong national team, fielded by the Italian Powerchair Sports Federation (FIPPS), was due to fly to Scotland for an international tournament serving as preparation for the forthcoming World Championships in Argentina. According to the Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP), the federation had requested and received formal authorisation from EasyJet as far back as April to transport six athletes with disabilities, along with both their everyday wheelchairs and six specialist sports wheelchairs. A further written confirmation was sent by the federation shortly before departure as a precaution. Despite this, with the flight scheduled for 11.55, the airline informed the team at 10.15 that it could not board the full delegation, citing a limit of five wheelchairs aboard the Airbus A320. EasyJet's proposed fix - splitting the party, leaving one athlete behind and rerouting the sports wheelchairs on a separate flight to Edinburgh rather than Glasgow - was branded "surreal" by the CIP, which said it insulted the team's sporting preparation and the respect owed to a national side representing Italy abroad. CIP president Marco Giunio De Sanctis called the episode "extremely serious," saying it violated the athletes' personal dignity and the fundamental values of sport, and warned that denying athletes their mobility aids amounted to denying them their own autonomy and identity.