Missing Scissors Cause 36 Flight Cancellations In Japan

Thirty-six flights were cancelled at Japan’s New Chitose airport on Saturday after a pair of scissors went missing. Japanese media report that retail outlets at the airport — which serves the regional city of Chitose on Japan’s northernmost island, Hokkaido — are required to store scissors in a locker. When staff need to cut something, they withdraw the scissors and then replace them after they’re done snipping. But last Saturday, an unnamed retailer at the airport was unable to find a pair of scissors. A lengthy search ensued, during which security checks for incoming passengers were paused for at least two hours.

Chaos ensued as queues expanded, passengers were denied entry, and airport authorities scrambled to determine whether the scissors had been swiped by somebody with malicious intent. The incident saw over 200 flights delayed, and 36 cancelled altogether. The mess meant some artists didn’t appear at a music festival. Happily, the scissors were eventually found — in the very same shop from which they had gone missing, and not in the hands of someone nefarious. But it took time for authorities to verify the scissors were the missing cutters and not another misplaced pair.