After footage of him attacking an airport employee surfaced, former minister Lefteris Avgenakis said on Wednesday that he would not resign from his parliamentary seat in the event that the ruling New Democracy party expelled him, as was predicted.

"I apologized in public and gave an explanation for the incident. I was and remain an MP for the prefecture of Iraklio, and I will continue to serve the citizens of Crete with the same passion,” he said in a statement.

The 51-year-old, who has previously served as minister for rural development and minister for sports, had earlier apologized after a widely circulated video on social media showed him assaulting an employee at Athens International Airport. The event apparently transpired when he was refused entry onto a flight to Crete because of his delayed arrival; Avgenakis attempted to minimize it as a "verbal" exchange. The exact timing of the incident remains unclear.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis requested the expulsion of his MP and referred him to the New Democracy ethics committee. The committee was expected to endorse Mitsotakis’ recommendation.

Opposition parties also reacted to the incident with calls for his ouster from New Democracy’s parliamentary group.