Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday took to Twitter and criticised Air India for a flight delay that forced him to miss an appointment. The Union minister said he could not attend an important meeting scheduled in Hyderabad because the pilot of the flight he was supposed to take from the Delhi airport did not reach even 30 minutes after the time of departure.

“Air India should explain how such things are happening. Transparency and accountability are the need of the hour. Hope Air India understands that we are in the age of competition. Missed an important appointment,” Naidu said on the microblogging website. The national carrier soon replied to Naidu's tweets with an apology. “We deeply regret the inconvenience caused due to flight delay.The pilot was stuck in traffic jam. Enquiry has been ordered,” Air India said.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said the carrier will investigate the incident and Ashwani Lohani, chairman and managing director of the airline, will oversee the probe.