Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil yesterday welcomed Ryanair's decision to refund any departure tax collected by mistake.

Dr Busuttil said he had received complaints from several individuals claiming they were still being charged the departure tax of €23 by the low-cost airline for air tickets purchased before November 1 but for flights taking place later.

He had contacted Ryanair about the matter but the airline said it would await "formal notification" before updating its records. The airline insisted it had changed its tariffs following November 1 and all bookings made since the beginning of last month did not include the abolished tax.

Dr Busuttil deemed such a reply unsatisfactory, especially as the Department of Civil Aviation confirmed that Ryanair had been notified well in advance about the removal of the tax.

Eventually, Ryanair adjusted its tariffs to reflect the lifting of the departure tax and publicly offered to refund the money collected by mistake.