A missing pair of scissors brought an international airport in Japan came to a standstill last Saturday. The unusual security situation at New Chitose Airport In Hokkaido 36 flights were cancelled and 201 flights were delayed, the BBC reports. Given a winter storm that Southwest Airlines With a scheduling crisis nearly two years in the making, it’s no surprise that commercial aviation is an operational tightrope walk.
The scissors disappeared from a shop past the terminal’s security checkpoint, according to One Mile At A TimeAs a result, authorities forced each passenger to go through security again in an attempt to find the device. The second screening was long and tedious, as everyone immediately passed through the checkpointHowever, the scissors were not found and two hours later the airport was operational again.
An airport employee found the scissors the next day in the same store where they had disappeared. The scissors were not commoditiesas most airports do not disclose sharp objects outside the checkpoint for security reasons. It was probably a tool used by staff that went missing. An airport spokesperson explained:
“We recognize that this occurred due to inadequate storage and management systems in the store. We are aware that this is also an incident that could be linked to hijacking or terrorism, and will again work to ensure thorough management awareness.”
There was cause for concern as there was a large influx of passengers flying home after a long weekend in Japan and the country unfortunately has a history of mass stabbings. At least the airport took the credible threat seriously, but you wish they had looked at the story again.
