A turtle became famous after a walk on the runway of one of Japan’s busiest airports, causing five flights to be delayed. The turtle, which weighs just over 2 kg, was seen moving slowly on a runway at Narita International Airport near Tokyo on Friday morning, prompting a pilot preparing for takeoff to call air traffic control. Watchman.

Staff removed the turtle with a net and checked the 4,000-meter runway for other foreign objects, causing a 15-minute delay on five flights, according to Japanese media.

While airport workers are sometimes required to take stray cats, raccoons, or rabbits off the runway, turtle accidents are extremely rare. Narita Airport representatives believe that the turtle could have come from a pond located about 100 meters from the runway.

After Afghan Airlines had to cancel 14 weekly flights to Honolulu due to the coronavirus pandemic, the airline used its A380 fleet on domestic routes. The plane was about to take off for a flight to the island of Okinawa in southern Japan, when the turtle appeared.

The airline apologized for the delay. “In Hawaii, sea turtles are seen as bringing good luck and we hope that this turtle who came to watch the voyage heralds a bright future,” a statement said.

Editor: AP