A reportedly “missing” pair of scissors caused hundreds of delays at one of Japan’s busiest airports last weekend. On Saturday, more than 30 flights were canceled and 201 delayed at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido after a pair of scissors went missing from a shop near the boarding gates.
Although air traffic is now back to “normal,” the travelers were stranded for several hours while authorities tried to find the missing scissors. According to the BBC, they were finally found the next day by a store employee.
The chaos at the Japanese airport was a new setback for tourists, after several airport problems around the world in the past week. Last Wednesday, countless flights were delayed at Sicily’s Catania airport after Mount Etna shot smoke clouds more than 10 km high into the sky and covered the runways with a thick layer of ash and debris.
Ryanair, British Airways and EasyJet were among the major airlines affected and had no choice but to cancel their flights to and from Catania. Meanwhile, at Palma Son Sant Joan airport in Mallorca, more than 300 flights were cancelled as the Spanish holiday paradise battled storms.
According to the Majorca Daily Bulletin, there were 150 flights on Wednesday, 180 on Thursday and 10 on Friday, leaving tourists stranded on the island. In light of the incident at New Chitose Airport, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is believed to have called for an investigation into the root cause.
In response, Hokkaido Airport reportedly said: “We are aware that this is due to inadequate storage and management systems at the store. We are also aware that this incident could be linked to an aircraft hijacking or terrorism and will again work to ensure a full management investigation.”
Hokkaido Airport has been contacted for further information.
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