A black bear that strolled onto the runway twice in one day forced authorities to postpone a dozen flights and station hunters and police outside Yamagata Airport in Japan on Thursday, bringing air traffic to a complete halt.
Four domestic flights were delayed by more than an hour, and the initial sighting happened early in the morning, according to Japanese media reports. When the bear resurfaced in the afternoon and was spotted walking over the runway, the situation became more heated and the airstrip had to be closed once more.
“We attempted to chase it away with a vehicle, but we were forced to halt operations due to safety concerns,” stated Akira Nagai, a Yamagata Airport official.
