A pair of scissors—nothing more, nothing less. A simple pair of commercial scissors was all it took to paralyze one of Japan’s major airports, disrupting operations for two hours, stranding hundreds of passengers, and delaying or canceling a handful of flights. In all, authorities estimated the incident had affected 240 operations. The curious thing is that nobody used the scissors of discord to attack anyone or threaten airport security. They disappeared from a store.
The story ended happily. Or almost.
Where are my scissors? Shop employees at the New Chitose Airport domestic terminal in Hokkaidō Prefecture, Japan, asked a similar question on Saturday morning without anyone explaining how, when, or where a pair of scissors went missing. Or so it seemed. In most businesses around the world, such an incident wouldn’t have gone unnoticed, but not at this Chitose terminal store.
Why is that? For several reasons. First, the rules state that shop assistants must always keep scissors under lock and key in a safe place. Second, the store they disappeared from isn’t just any store. It’s located just past the security checkpoints, near the boarding gates through which travelers board their flights, so what happened left an unsettling question hanging in the air: What if someone had taken them to use on the plane?
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Paralyzed for two hours. Unexpectedly, and to the astonishment of more than one passenger, the authorities at New Chitose Airport had to reschedule the day. For almost two hours, they suspended security checks in the terminal. They forced passengers who had passed the security checkpoints to go through the detector arches again.
This was all to ensure the airport’s safety. The airport served more than 15 million travelers in 2022 and operates one of the busiest domestic routes in the world, Tokyo-Sapporo. Saturday was no ordinary day in the country either: Many Japanese were returning home after the Obon holiday.
Flight cancellations and delays. The missing scissors disrupted the airport’s organization and affected airlines scheduled to operate from the Chitose domestic terminal. The toll revealed by the BBC is staggering: Although the authorities suspended checks for only two hours, the measure affected hundreds of passengers, forced the cancellation of 36 flights, and delayed 201 operations.
The British media outlet also reported “huge bottlenecks and queues” as authorities forced travelers in the departure lounge to take their bags and return to the area where security personnel were waiting.
The British media also reported “huge bottlenecks and queues” as authorities forced travelers in the departure lounge to take their bags and return to the area where security personnel were waiting.
Did the scissors appear? They did, but everyone had to wait. The incident disrupted airport security for several hours. Still, the scissors didn’t show up until Sunday when a store employee found them. Few details about where they were or how employees might lose them have emerged. Japanese media outlet NHK said a store assistant found them after another search. However, the announcement was made on Monday to confirm beyond doubt that they were the missing scissors.
A wake-up call and explanations. The incident was serious enough for Japan’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to issue a wake-up call to airport authorities, asking them to investigate and ensure that it doesn’t happen again. The Hokkaidō terminal has already explicitly stated that the cause was the warehouse’s “inadequate storage and management system,” which isn’t downplaying the incident.
“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 officials said. There are those on the social media platforms who believe that the airport’s quick and forceful response demonstrates its security. “This incident showcased the safety of Japanese aviation and the thoroughness of its manuals,” one X user said.
This article was written by Carlos Prego and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.
Image | Miki Yoshihito (Flickr)
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