ROME- easyJet (U2) has apologised after Italy’s national powerchair football team was refused boarding on a flight from Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) to Glasgow Airport (GLA) on Monday, July 20, 2026. The squad was travelling to a warm-up tournament in Scotland ahead of the World Championships in Argentina.
Italy’s civil aviation authority has opened an investigation into the incident, while the airline said it proposed sending the players’ match wheelchairs on a separate service to Edinburgh Airport (EDI). The dispute has drawn strong condemnation from the Italian Paralympic Committee.
easyJet Denies Boarding to Football Team
The national side was booked on an easyJet service leaving Fiumicino at 11.55 am local time. The players planned to reach Scotland for a warm-up event before competing in the World Championships in Argentina.
On arrival at the gate, the team was reportedly told they could not board. Staff said the aircraft, an Airbus A320, had space for only five wheelchairs, while the group included six athletes.
According to the Comitato Italiano Paralimpico (Italian Paralympic Committee, CIP), the airline offered to leave one athlete behind in Rome and send the match wheelchairs on a separate flight to Edinburgh.
The committee rejected the plan, describing it as “an offence to sporting merit, competitive preparation and the respect due to a national team that represents Italy on the world stage”.
Permission Secured in April
The CIP said the Federazione Italiana Paralimpica Powerchair Sport (Italian Paralympic Powerchair Sport Federation, FIPPS) had requested and obtained clearance from easyJet in April.
That approval covered six athletes with disabilities, along with wheelchairs for daily mobility and six specialist match wheelchairs. The federation said it sent a reminder to the airline before departure but received no reply.
For a powerchair athlete, the wheelchair is essential equipment rather than optional luggage. Marco Giunio De Sanctis, president of the CIP, said: “Wheelchairs for a Paralympic athlete are not an ‘extra’ or bulky luggage, but the extension of one’s body.”
Investigation by Italy’s Aviation Authority
Italy’s civil aviation authority said it opened an investigation to check for any failure in the assistance booking procedure and in the communication sent to easyJet about the mobility aids.
The authority said it would verify any liability on the part of the carrier and begin a sanctioning process if breaches of the European Union regulation protecting the mobility rights of passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility are confirmed.
De Sanctis called the situation “an unacceptable disgrace that takes us back decades on the human and social rights front”. He added that the committee would support the FIPPS president in legal action for compensation and press authorities for binding rules and sanctions.
Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) said the incident had nothing to do with its staff. The operator said its team had arrived at the gate to help the athletes board when the airline informed them the travellers would not be accepted for reasons unknown to ADR.
easyJet Responds
A spokesperson for the airline told Italian outlet Adnkronos: “We are deeply sorry for the experience of the Italian National Powerchair Football team.”
The airline said it had launched an internal investigation and was in contact with the passengers to find a solution.
The carrier added that making air travel accessible to all passengers is a priority and that it takes the matter seriously. EasyJet UK has also been contacted for comment.
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