The Dublin Airport Authority has apologised after an ambulance was clamped while waiting to transfer a seriously sick patient to hospital last Saturday.
Airport police immobilised the vehicle in an emergency ambulance bay outside the arrivals hall - leaving the acutely ill man waiting.
The man, who had fallen sick on a European skiing holiday, was left stranded while the ambulance crew were forced to pay the €63 fine after they brought him out from the airport.
Life Line ambulance service condemned the clamping as unacceptable. Mr David Hall, chief executive of the private company, said: "A mistake was made that should never have been made. The ambulance should never have been clamped."
Mr Hall said Life Line ambulances were clearly marked and had been picking up patients from the airport on a regular basis for several years.
A spokeswoman for the Dublin Airport Authority
He said that as the patient was being brought from the plane to the arrivals hall by wheelchair, an airport policeman demanded they move the ambulance. The chief executive said the man ignored the crew explaining they would be moving shortly as the man had just landed.
"The airport police officer then proceeded in full knowledge that the patient had landed, and was coming through arrivals to clamp the ambulance," Mr Hall said.
"There was no enquiries made as to what was wrong with the patient. This gentleman was going to acute hospital admission," added Mr Hall.
A spokeswoman for the Dublin Airport Authority said: "We are reviewing our procedures in relation to this; clearly this should never have happened." She said the fine was being refunded to Life Line.
The airport management said its chief of security police would be meeting with Life Line to ensure the incident does not happen again.