Continental Apologizes For Frisking Indian Ex-President

Continental Airlines made an apology to former Indian president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Wednesday after staff had frisked him at Delhi airport, to Indian uproar.

The Indian government has filed a police report against the airline, as protocol at Indian airports exempts specific dignitaries from security checks, and gave Continental Airlines seven days to respond.

"Continental Airlines apologizes to the former President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for any misunderstanding and/or inconvenience related to the security screening," the airline said in a statement.

"Our intention was never to offend Dr. Kalam or the sentiments of the people of India."

Continental Airlines had earlier said there were no exemptions to its security procedures and that it believed Kalam had not been offended.

Kalam is seen by many Indians as the founding father of the country's missile program and a man with a common touch.

He was frisked in April but the check caused an outcry in the Indian media and parliament when it became public knowledge. The aviation minister called it "unpardonable", according to local media reports.

Indians posted blogs or comments on the internet asking how Americans would react if a former US president were frisked by a foreign airline.