TOKYO – A Japanese airline had to operate a special flight after it realized that the plane carrying sumo wrestlers was too heavy.
The average weight of an individual is 70 KG but 27 Sumo Wrestlers had to be flown to island Amami Oshima for a competition; however, their average weight was 120 KG which bothered the ‘Japan Airlines’ managers who had to find a solution.
The sumo fighters were scheduled to take flights from Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Itami Airport in Osaka to Amami Oshima for a competition.
As soon as the airline management realized that the plane could be too heavy, it arranged another flight to distribute the load.
The management also thought initially about taking a larger aircraft but the airport’s runway in Amami Oshima couldn’t accommodate a larger plane.
The operation of a special flight for 14 out of 27 sumo wrestlers was also deemed exceptional by the airline, emphasizing the unique circumstances surrounding the situation.
When the wrestlers were headed back on Sunday after the conclusion of the competition, an additional flight had to be arranged to transport them back.
It bears mentioning that weight woes have disrupted flights in other parts of the world too. In July, a British multinational airline requested passengers to get off the plane voluntarily due to the fact that it was carrying too much weight.
Passengers onboard an EasyJet flight were told by the captain that it was “too heavy to take off”, requesting travelers to leave the plane following which 19 passengers took another flight and left the plane.
The passengers were to head to Liverpool from Lanzarote and the flight EZY3364 was scheduled to take off at around 9.45 pm but it was delayed due to bad weather and the aircraft’s weight.
“That heavy aircraft combined with a fairly short runway here in Lanzarote, and some winds which aren’t completely favourable at the moment, mean that with the current environmental conditions here in Lanzarote, the aircraft is too heavy at the moment to depart,” the captain said.
“There are a number of factors – it’s very hot, the wind isn’t fantastic, the direction isn’t great. Now, you might be wondering what happens next and that’s what I’ve come in here to say. I have spoken with our operations team and the one way to solve a problem with a heavy aircraft is to make it slightly lighter,” he added.
“If possible, I would like to ask for up to, potentially, 20 volunteers to choose not to fly to Liverpool tonight. If anyone does want to do that, if anybody does want to volunteer, there will, of course, be an incentive for you to do that, and that is something we’ll be able to let you know about,” he said.
The pilot then wanted people to volunteer to avoid flying on the plane. To compensate, it was announced that the airline would provide incentives of up to 500 euros to each passenger for offloading; following the announcement, passengers left the plane and took another flight.
