Air Canada said it apologized to a British MP who was selected for additional security screening while traveling to and from Canada with a parliamentary delegation last week.

The Labour MP Mohammad Yasin was questioned during his trip by Air Canada and Canadian immigration officials, who told him it was "because his name is Mohammad," according to MP Clive Betts, one of the committee members traveling with Yasin.

Betts informed the British House of Commons on Monday that Yasin was stopped for questioning, unlike other members of the Commons committee who were traveling to Canada together. Yasin is one of two people of color on the committee and the only one with an Islamic name.

Betts said, "The questioning was conducted by officials from Air Canada, and the Canadian government, we believe." He stated that Yasin was questioned several times, first at Heathrow Airport, then at airports in Montreal and Toronto.

Betts said that Yasin was asked about his place of birth and whether he was carrying a knife or other weapon. He said that ultimately, Yasin was allowed to board the plane – after assistance from the committee clerk, on the flight to Canada, and from the British consul general on the way back.

In a statement to CBC, Air Canada said it regrets any inconvenience or distress caused by the incident and has reached out to apologize to Yasin.

Air Canada's email statement said, "We are internally following up on how this particular matter was handled to ensure procedures were followed correctly, and we have also been in contact with the relevant authorities," but the company did not specify which authorities.

A spokesperson for Yasin's office declined a request for an interview with CBC on his behalf.

Yasin told the BBC, "It was exhausting and humiliating to be singled out in such an aggressive manner by immigration control, especially when traveling as part of a group as a representative of the British Parliament on committee business that had been arranged long in advance."

Betts said Yasin and the committee received apologies from Air Canada and the parliamentary secretary to the Canadian immigration minister, but he still intends to write to the Canadian high commissioner about the incident "given the racist and anti-Islamic nature of these challenges."

The Canadian immigration department did not respond to CBC's questions about why Yasin received additional screening, instead directing inquiries to the Canada Border Services Agency.

The Canada Border Services Agency, for its part, said it could not answer the questions because "individual border and immigration information is considered private and protected."

Both Yasin, who spoke to the BBC, and Betts, addressing the House of Commons, noted that Yasin's political status helped him withstand the questioning and ultimately while traveling.

Betts said, "Because he was a member of Parliament, he was allowed to fly on his flights," adding, "However, if one of our constituents were challenged in this way, they may have been denied."

Mohammad, along with its alternative spellings, is one of the most common Islamic male names in the world.