REUTERS/Issei Kato
- A pair of scissors went missing from a store at New Chitose Airport on Saturday, local media reported.
- Passengers had to go through security checks again, disrupting hundreds of flights.
- The pair of scissors were later found in the same store, the reports said.
Hundreds of flights were disrupted on Saturday after a pair of scissors went missing at a Japanese airport, local media reported.
The incident occurred at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, the country’s second-busiest airport for passengers last year, according to government statistics.
Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that security checks were suspended for about two hours after scissors went missing from a store in the departure lounge.
In a post on X, the Japanese airline ANA warned customers that flights could be suddenly delayed due to security checks at the airport.
Passengers who had already been through security had to go through checks again — causing huge queues, according to the BBC.
Both reports said 36 flights were canceled, and 201 were delayed.
The disruption was made worse because many travelers were flying home after Obon, a Japanese holiday.
Two days after the incident, Hokkaido Airports announced that the scissors had been discovered — in the same store that they went missing from, per national newspaper Nikkan Sports.
According to NHK, the airport operator delayed the announcement because it needed time to confirm that the found scissors were indeed the same pair.
“We recognize that this occurred as a result of insufficient storage and management systems at the store,” Hokkaido Airports said, per the BBC. “We are aware that this is also an incident that could be linked to hijacking or terrorism, and will once again work to ensure thorough management awareness.”
The BBC report added that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has asked Hokkaido Airports to investigate the cause.
New Chitose Airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside Japanese working hours.