EasyJet has apologized and announced it has opened an internal inquiry after the Italian National Powerchair Football team said it was denied access to a flight from Rome's Fiumicino airport to Glasgow, where it was set to take part in an international tournament to prepare for the upcoming World Cup in Argentina.
    "We are deeply sorry about the experience of the Italian National Powerchair Football team," the low-cost carrier said.
    "Making air travel accessible to all passengers is a priority for EasyJet, and we take this matter extremely seriously".
    The Italian Paralympic Powerchair Sport Federation (FIPPS) said it had got the all-clear from EasyJet in April to take six disabled members of the team on the flight along with their wheelchairs for everyday use and their powerchairs for competition.
    It said also sent an email to the airline to check shortly before the flight, only to be told when the team were about to embark that the Airbus A320 they were booked on could only carry five wheelchairs.
    Italian Paralympic Committee President Marco Giunio De Sanctis said what happened was "an unacceptable disgrace that harms the personal dignity of the athletes and the values of Paralympic sport".
    Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said it was "absurd and unacceptable".
    Italian civil aviation authority ENAC said it has opened a probe into the case.

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