Disabled teen's wheelchair lost on Edinburgh to Paris flight

A teenager has been left struggling without his wheelchair after it was lost on an easyJet flight from Edinburgh to Paris.

Michael Cloke, 17, had to borrow wheelchairs at landmarks in Paris when the airline told him they could not find it after the flight on Tuesday.

His family tried seven organisations before they were able to hire a chair on the fourth day of the visit.

EasyJet apologised and said it was "doing all possible" to locate it.

Michael needs the chair for a heart condition which causes severe fatigue.

His mother Gillian, a book editor from Edinburgh, said the loss of the chair was having a "major impact" on the family's visit to France.

She said she checked-in the wheelchair as hold luggage at Edinburgh Airport, but it did not come out when they landed in France.

She said: "It takes a lot of planning going on holiday with someone who is disabled. To lose a crucial bit of kit completely derailed our plans.

Mrs Cloke said visiting The Louvre art gallery as a "complete nightmare", because taxis could not get the family close enough for Michael to walk to the entrance without a chair.

She said she struggled to contact easyJet for help as the automated systems were set up for people with lost luggage instead of wheelchairs.

She added: "We have done everything we can which involves sitting, the river tour, buses.

"It is beautiful and sunny and it's Paris and we're trying not to be ungrateful considering everything else that is going on here."

There has been four nights of riots in France after the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy during a traffic check by police near Paris.

EasyJet said it was investigating with its ground-handling partners at Edinburgh and Paris and the airport's special assistance provider.

A spokesperson said: "We are doing all possible to try and locate it and fully understand the inconvenience this will have caused them which we are very sorry for.

"The family have advised us they have been using a temporary replacement wheelchair and we have been in contact with them since Tuesday to ensure Michael's wellbeing and see how we can assist them further.

"We will also be offering a gesture of goodwill to apologise for their experience and the delay in reuniting Michael with his wheelchair."