AviationThe missing scissors raised security concerns at the airport, for fear of terrorism.

Missing scissors cause chaos at Hokkaido airport

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The commotion at Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport stemmed from concerns that the missing scissors might have been stolen for malicious purposes.
The commotion at Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport stemmed from concerns that the missing scissors might have been stolen for malicious purposes. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Andrii

A pair of scissors missing from an airport retail outlet caused massive disruption at Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport - one of Japan’s busiest airports - during the weekend.

Thirty six flights were cancelled and more than 200 were delayed after the scissors went missing in a store near the domestic boarding gates.

Huge bottlenecks built up as passengers in the departure lounge were made to retake security checks.

A spokesperson for Hokkaido Airports told the BBC: ”We recognise that this occurred as a result of insufficient storage and management systems at the store.

“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.”

And the missing scissors? They were found at the store the following day.

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