United Airlines: CEO says sorry after man dragged off plane

United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz has apologised for the forcible removal of a passenger from an overbooked flight in Chicago.

After initially remaining defiant over the incident, Oscar Munoz has now said sorry for what he called a "truly horrific event".

Footage of a bloodied United Airlines passenger being dragged off an overbooked flight in Chicago on Sunday night has since gone viral.

In a statement to his team released on Tuesday, Mr Munoz said: "The truly horrific event that occurred on this flight has elicited many responses from all of us: outrage, anger, disappointment.

"I share all of those sentiments, and one above all: my deepest apologies for what happened.

"Like you, I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight and I deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all the customers aboard. No one should ever be mistreated this way.

"I want you to know that we take full responsibility and we will work to make it right."

The letter shows a stark change in tone from an initial memo to employees in which Mr Munoz didn't apologise, instead claiming the passenger had "defied" security officers.

The first memo said there were lessons the company could learn, though he stressed that he "emphatically" stood behind his employees.

However, the second statement sent out to the team shows an about-turn, with the airline's chief executive showing absolute contrition.

The statement continues: "It's never too late to do the right thing. I have committed to our customers and our employees that we are going to fix what's broken so this never happens again.

"This will include a thorough review of crew movement, our policies for incentivizing volunteers in these situations, how we handle oversold situations and an examination of how we partner with airport authorities and local law enforcement.

"We'll communicate the results of our review by April 30th. I promise you we will do better. Sincerely, Oscar."

Since a video of the passenger being dragged from the plane was widely shared online, shares in the owner of United Airlines - United Continental - have fallen 2%.