A Japanese airport halted operations due to the loss of a set of scissors.
Worry about some scissors, which were utilized at a retail outlet situated in the departure lounge of a domestic flight at New Chitose Airport (CTS), led to a multi-hour security investigation. This airport, which serves the Sapporo area on Hokkaido's northern island, saw 36 flights get cancelled on August 17 and an additional 201 flights getting delayed due to this search.
Concerns arose that a potential terrorist might have absconded with the scissors and utilized them as a weapon on the plane. After some time, the airport confirmed that the tools had been discovered, allowing flights to continue.
In a statement, the airport administration acknowledged, "We understand that the incident was brought about due to inadequate usage, storage, and maintenance systems employed by the store patrons." They vowed to probe this incident, identify its origin, and prevent its recurrence. Additionally, they affirmed that this incident could potentially be linked to hijacking and terrorism and that all airport staff will be trained on the significance of management.
The Japanese rock band 9mm Parabellum Bullet was one of the many parties impacted by the security concerns; they missed their concert at the yearly Rising Sun music festival in Hokkaido due to a flight cancellation.
"We will surely exact our revenge!" the band exclaimed in a statement disseminated on the event's website, while the festival itself declined to give ticket refunds.
Numerous travelers took to social media to voice their anger.
"I feel like crying because my flight got cancelled due to someone misplacing a pair of scissors," one flyer posted on X.
"Due to this incident, the flight I was scheduled to take was cancelled, and now my eagerly anticipated family reunion has been cut short. It's incredibly disappointing," complained another.
Nevertheless, others praised the airport for taking the potential scissor theft seriously.
"As a traveler, I'm grateful that they devote such rigorous precautions to ensure safety," one X user commented.
The band 9mm Parabellum Bullet expressed their frustration in a statement after missing their concert due to the flight cancellation caused by the scissor incident. Travelers were actively sharing their disappointment on social media, expressing their frustration over cancelled flights and interrupted travel plans.
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