Up for the match: Irish rugby fans make it to Rome for Six Nations clash

UP to 300 Rome-bound Irish rugby fans breathed a sigh of relief late last night after facing the risk of being abandoned at Shannon Airport for today’s start of the Six Nations.

Worried fans included parents and relatives of three of the Irish team.

They had an agonising day-long airport wait when a flight was cancelled because money was allegedly not paid over for the use of a plane by the organiser of a charter group.

Some of the fans had made frantic efforts to get out to Rome on a smaller aircraft before a tour operator came to their rescue with two available planes.

The planes departed at 8.35pm and 9.35pm.

The fans had paid 400 each for return flights to the Italian capital and accommodation at the President Hotel in Rome.

The tickets for the flight were issued by a company calling itself Pennywell Rugby Club, with a Limerick address.

The company which owns the plane, Britannia, faxed a message to the airport half an hour before the scheduled departure time, saying they were cancelling the flight.

The stranded fans were due to fly out on a charter at 1pm yesterday but at 12.30pm they were advised there was a difficulty.

Limerick fan Liam O’Hanlon said: “We were told that a message was available at the information desk. This message was from Britannia, the owners of the plane. It stated that they had cancelled the flight from Shannon to Rome and the return flight from Rome to Shannon next Monday because of non-payment of fees by the organising agent. They apologised and said we should contact the Irish Civil Aviation Authority.”

Another stranded fan added: “We couldn’t believe that this could happen. And to make matters worse there was nobody at the airport to tell us what was going on and no one from the organising group could be contacted.”

A spokesperson for the Shannon Airport Authority said their dealings were confined only to the airline and not the tour agent.

A spokesperson for the Commission for the Aviation Regulator said the organiser of the rugby charters was operating without a licence and they have been in contact with the person in charge of the operation.

President of the Irish Travel Agents Association, Cork-based Michael Doorley, last night demanded the imposition of stiffer penalties on parties operating tours without being licensed or bonded. Currently, unlicensed travel agents face fines up to €1,500.