NEW DELHI: Hours after PMO sought a report over VIPS delaying Air India flights, the civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju tendered an apology to all passengers inconvenienced by the delays.

"We apologize to all passengers who have faced inconvenience," Gajapathi Raju told reporters addressing a press conference on Thursday.

"If there is violation of rules, we will ask why it happened and that it should not happen," the minister said.

The civil aviation minister said that the ministry is working on plans to avoid such incidents in future.

"We will avoid such incidents in future, will ensure such incidents don't recur," the Union minister said.

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Saying the truth on the reported incidents was yet to come out, the minister said, "We are calling for information, we need to find out what happened."

Two incidents involving Air India were reported recently.

Raju said that his ministry would submit a report to the PMO, which has sought details on "delay in Air India flights on account of VIP travels in the recent past".

According to Raju, the incident is "too small" for the PMO to take note of.

In the first incident Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was accused of delaying a flight to US after his aide forgot to carry a valid passport.

Fadnavis, however, denied the report as false and misleading.

READ ALSO: Maharashtra CM's aide 'delays' AI flight to US; Fadnavis says 'allegation false, misleading'

On June 24, a flight from Leh to Delhi carrying Rijiju was delayed for about an hour and three passengers, including a child, were allegedly offloaded to accommodate him and his PA.

READ ALSO: 4 offloaded from Air India plane to seat ministers

