National carrier Malaysia Airlines Bhd has apologised to Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu over a delay in his flight to London which led to him miss a meeting with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad there.

In a statement, MAS expressed deep regret over the inconvenience caused by the delay due to a technical issue.

"The airline was aware of the minister's meeting (with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad) and spared no expense to ensure that the aircraft was safe to fly, as safety is of the utmost importance at all times for the airline," it added, according to The Star.

Mohamad, who is also known as Mat Sabu, took flight MH002 from Kuala Lumpur on June 15 and was scheduled to arrive in London at 5.55am on June 16.

However, due to the delay, he only arrived at 8.26am.

MAS explained that it also made arrangements for swift and seamless immigration and security clearance upon the flight's arrival at Heathrow Airport.

The airlines subsequently made alternative flight arrangements for the defence minister's entourage to fly to Paris for a working visit there.

Yesterday, the Defence Ministry issued a statement expressing frustration that the delay had resulted in the missed meeting with the prime minister.