TV3 has been forced to pull an advertisement from Ryanair calling on the Taoiseach to clear the way for a private terminal at Dublin Airport.

The advert, which urged members of the public to phone the Taoiseach's office, was also turned down for broadcast by RTÉ.

It was aired briefly on TV3 on Thursday evening but yesterday, after hearing about its contents, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) contacted TV3 and advised them it could breach broadcasting legislation.

The advertisement involved Ryanair chief executive Mr Michael O'Leary talking about more competition at Dublin Airport, while the Taoiseach's office number appeared on the screen.

Yesterday an RTÉ spokeswoman said the station was not censoring Ryanair but RTÉ believed the advertisement was in breach of the 1960 Broadcasting Act.

She pointed to a section of the Act which states: " The Authority shall not accept any advertisement which is directed towards any religious or political end or has any relation to any industrial dispute."

RTÉ had no option but to obey the law, she added.

A TV3 spokeswoman said the BCI informed the station it could not accept advertisements with a political dimension.

Mr David McMunn, the station's legal adviser, said: "We were told the use of the image of a real person without them being first informed was also not permissible and so we've told Ryanair we cannot show the advert again."