Kiren Rijiju flight controversy: IAF report confirms delay, minister apologises to passengers who were offloaded

New Delhi: Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday apologised to passengers who were not allowed to board a flight last week so that he could fly to Delhi.

"I must say sorry to those who were offloaded and ensure such incidents are not repeated," the minister said.

Rijiju added, "Everyone must apologise. Flight timings should not change for big reasons like security."

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday confirmed that an Air India aircraft, plying from Leh to Delhi, received a request for a delay in departure to accommodate a 'VIP passenger', adding that three passengers were not allowed to board the plane for the same.

The flight, which was scheduled to take off at 10.20 am, eventually left for Delhi at 11.12 am.

The airport authorities further stated that the captain of flight AI 446 has told the passengers that the delay was not due to the fault of aircraft.

Read: 'Communication gap': Kiren Rijiju on reports he delayed Air India flight

Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju was accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh and they were to fly to Delhi from Leh on June 24, when the reported incident took place.

However, the Minister has denied all the allegations and said he was not aware of the same.

Read: Aviation Ministry seeks reports on delay of flights

Earlier this week, an Air India flight from Mumbai to New York, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on board, was delayed by nearly an hour allegedly on account of a member of his entourage. Mr Fadnavis has denied it.