Around 300 rugby supporters spent much of yesterday stranded at Shannon Airport after the airline that had been chartered to take them to Italy refused to fly amid claims that it had not been paid by the tour operator.
Passengers intending to fly to Rome to watch Ireland's opening Six Nations Championship match against Italy tomorrow began arriving at the airport yesterday morning for a 1 p.m. flight.
But it soon became apparent that there was a problem with their booking, and their departure time was repeatedly delayed.
Britannia Airways said last night that the unlicensed tour operator in question had failed to pay the charter fees on time and so it had taken the "regretful decision" to cancel the flight.
"We regret any inconvenience to passengers in Ireland, but we need full payment prior to flying," said an airline spokeswoman.
Last night, a spokeswoman for Shannon Airport said the tour operator later organised for the passengers to be carried on two other flights, one which left around 7 p.m. and another at around 9 p.m.
"The passengers have been taken care of and, in general, they were in good spirits and good natured. Most of them seem to have great loyalty for this operator," said the spokeswoman.
But Mr Michael Doorley, of the Irish Travel Agents' Association, said that unlicensed tour operators were a serious problem in the industry and that the legislation needed to be strengthened to deal with it.
"To operate any kind of tour you must have a licence and renew that licence every year. The current situation is wide open for abuse and it is time that this abuse is addressed and corrected," he told RTÉ.