Airlines will be forced to include all taxes and charges when advertising fares, if proposed air transport regulations are accepted.

At an Oireachtas committee meeting yesterday, Ethna Brogan of the Department of Finance said that proposed EU regulations would impose greater transparency on ticket pricing.

Specifically, prices quoted by airlines would have to include all taxes and airport charges. It is believed that this regulation would extend to advertisements for flights.

The deadline for acceptance of the proposed regulations is December 2007. If accepted, they will replace the existing air transport regulations which date back to 1992.

When asked whether the Department of Transport would insist on full pricing transparency before that date, Ms Brogan said that this was not planned at present.

Ms Brogan added that there was also "evidence of some discrimination on fares charged, depending on where the ticket is purchased".

For example, a flight from Dublin to London may be more expensive if purchased in Ireland rather than Britain, or vice versa. "This regulation aims to stamp out this type of practice," she said.

In addition, under the new regulations, the EU could require member states to produce economic cases in support of public service offerings (PSOs) - flight routes to lightly populated areas which are subsidised by the government.