A missing pair of scissors caused more than 200 flights to be canceled or delayed at one of Japan’s biggest airports.
Staff at a store in the New Chitose Airport reported the missing item Saturday, according to a news release from the airport’s operator, Hokkaido Airports Co. Ltd.
As a result, officials at the facility in the northern Hokkaido prefecture, decided to temporarily suspend all flights, close security checkpoints and conduct security inspections, the release added.
At total of 201 flights — 129 departures and 72 arrivals — had been delayed, the news release said. A further 36 had been canceled, the news release said.
Passengers who had previously been screened had to be re-screened, and security checks were suspended for approximately two hours in order to assure safety, it added.
The scissors were found by an employee at the store the day after they went missing after a search, the company said, adding that it had delayed announcing the scissors were lost until it had verified they were the same pair.New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, northern Japan.Kyodo via AP
“This incident occurred due to insufficient management by the store tenant,” the news release added. “We are committed to investigating this incident, determining its cause, and preventing its recurrence,” it added.
The investigation will continue because the scissors have to be taken out of a locked storage locker every time they are used, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.
