Traffic at one of Japan’s busiest airports was suspended on Saturday.

This happened after a pair of scissors went missing, raising security concerns among authorities, local media reported.

The incident led to hours of security searches, cancellations and delays of hundreds of flights at New Chitose Airport (CTS), which serves the Sapporo region on the northern island of Hokkaido.

Here’s a look at what happened.

Delayed and cancelled flights

According to aviation analysis firm OAG, New Chitose is one of the busiest airports in Japan and offers the second busiest domestic flight route in the world.

The airport is known for its strict operational and security procedures and handled over 15 million passengers in 2022. CNBC TV18.

For security reasons, airport sales outlets are required to store scissors in lockers provided for this purpose. If the scissors are used, employees are required to return them immediately.

However, on Saturday, an airport shop said it could not find scissors.

According to the Japanese broadcaster, security checks were suspended for more than two hours after the scissors disappeared. NHK.

Due to the security breakdown, there was a significant backlog, travelers were denied entry and queues lasting hours occurred.

Japanese airline ANA has warned passengers in a post on X about the possibility of unexpected flight delays due to security procedures at airports.

The BBC reported that long queues had formed because passengers who had already passed through security had to be checked again.

As a result of the incident, which also had an impact beyond airport operations, around 200 flights were delayed and 36 flights were cancelled.

The fact that many visitors were returning home after Obon, a significant festival in Japan when many people honor their ancestors and spend time with family, made the inconvenience even worse.

Passengers frustrated

Many passengers vented their anger on the Internet.

Due to the flight delay on Saturday, around 30 travelers had to spend the night at the airport. According to Dimsum Daily, the airport provided them with sleeping bags and mats on the fourth floor of the terminal.

Japanese rock group 9mm Parabellum Bullet was one of many affected by the safety concerns; they were unable to perform at the Rising Sun music festival in Hokkaido this year due to a flight cancellation, according to a CNN.

In a statement on the festival’s website, the band said: “We will definitely take revenge!” and the festival itself announced that it would not refund ticket prices.

“I was in tears because my flight was cancelled because someone lost a pair of scissors,” wrote one passenger on X.

“Because of this incident, the flight I was supposed to take was cancelled and now my reunion with my family, which I was looking forward to, has been cut short. This is a huge disappointment,” added another.

“As a passenger, I am grateful that they are taking such thorough measures to ensure safety,” posted the third.

Scissors found

There were fears that the scissors could have been seized by a potential terrorist and used as a weapon on board an aircraft.

However, two days later, the airport announced that the tools had been found and flight operations had resumed.

The national newspaper Nikkan Sports reported that the scissors were found in the same place where they had disappeared.

“We are aware that the incident occurred due to inadequate usage, storage and management systems on the part of the store users,” the operators of New Chitose Airport said in a statement.

“We will investigate this incident, determine its cause and prevent a recurrence. We will also reiterate that this incident could be related to a hijacking or terrorist attack and we will ensure that all airport staff are fully aware of the importance of management.”

With contributions from agencies