Flights Canceled Over Pair of Missing Scissors

A pair of missing scissors ended up wreaking havoc at a Japanese airport on Saturday morning—while also generating some praise for the airport's response. The BBC reports they went missing from a store that was located near the boarding gates at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido that morning. During the search to locate them, new security checks were halted for two hours, while travelers already in the departure lounge had to be screened again. Some 36 flights were canceled and another 201 delayed.

And while Japan News reports flights did restart two hours later, the scissors didn't turn up until Sunday—in the same store where they were lost. "We recognize that this occurred as a result of insufficient storage and management systems at the store," the airport's operator said in a statement. "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 notes some posts on X were complimentary of the airport's response, like this one: "This incident showcased the safety of Japanese aviation and the thoroughness of its manuals!" (More Japan stories.)