Emirates has refused to honour bargain tickets it issued by mistake and confirmed that all erroneous transactions will be cancelled, it said in a statement.

A reported 300 people snapped up tickets between Brazil and Australia that were advertised on Emirates’ website for as little as $200 – 10 times cheaper than normal.

The super-low fares were the result of a technical error on the airline’s booking website, but customers received confirmation emails and e-tickets ahead of their flight.

They were disappointed when their bargain booking was cancelled the next day and they were invited to re-book tickets at much more expensive fares.

Some customers called for Emirates to accept its mistake and write off the flights.

But Emirates issued a statement this week accepting responsibility for the system error, and insisting that all bargain bookings issued by mistake would be cancelled.

An Emirates spokesperson said: “Due to a technical error, a number of Emirates tickets for flights originating in Brazil were issued with a zero value fare.

“The issue occurred on 16 June, 2016 and lasted for approximately three hours. Any ticket issued in error during this time will be automatically cancelled.

“Emirates will be contacting all affected passengers who purchased tickets online through Emirates’ website as well as travel agents who purchased tickets to assist in re-booking their flight at the appropriate available fare.

“Emirates apologises for the inconvenience this has caused its customers. Emirates fares are competitively priced and we remain committed to providing our customers with excellent service and a strong value-for-money proposition.”

The mistake has prompted anger among customers. Australian Josiane De Andrade said she bought several tickets priced at $214 each for her and her family to fly from Brisbane to Sao Paulo.

She was quoted as telling Australian media: “I knew it was super-cheap but sometimes that happens with airline prices.

“My family had already started arranging visas.

“If airline companies can now cancel e-ticket from its clients, what guarantee do the consumers have when buying from them?”