"What happened was wrong. I must apologise to the off-loaded passengers. They deserve to be treated properly," Mr Rijiju told NDTV, as he battled severe criticism.

A report by the Indian Air Force (IAF) says that there were instructions from the airport director on June 24 to delay flight AI-446 from Leh to Delhi, "to accommodate a VIP."

The VIP was Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister of State for Home, who, along with Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, had rushed to the airport after attending the "Sindhu Darshan" festival in the morning.

The flight was scheduled for 10.20 am, but the ministers say they received their boarding pass closer to 11 am, and the plane eventually took off at 11.12 am.

Air India has said that Indian Foreign Service officer GV Srinivas, his wife GV Neelam and their son Dhruv Aryan were taken off the flight and their seats were given to Mr Rijiju and company.

Mr Rijiju and Mr Singh were allowed to board the flight even after the aircraft doors had been shut for take-off, which is unprecedented without compelling circumstances such as a technical or security emergency.

The ministers have both denied delaying the flight; instead, they say, Air India had rescheduled the 11.40 am flight and advanced it by over an hour at short notice. The flight was, however, listed for 10.20 am in the airline's schedule.

"What was the reason for preponing the flight? If there were legitimate reasons, then we have to accept it. Everybody should apologise," Mr Rijiju told NDTV. Nirmal Singh has complained to the home ministry about one of the pilots, who, he alleged, "had created a dramatic situation and was rude."

Sources say any flight delays at Leh, which is India's highest airport and is managed by the IAF, can be dangerous as the later a flight takes off, the air density become lower and it is more difficult for an aircraft to gain lift.