- By Poorva Karki
- Mon, 16 Oct 2023 06:49 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Boeing 737 and 800 flights from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and Osaka’s Itami Airport faced an unexpected requirement after they realised a ‘weight issue’ that might cause them ‘fuel capacity’ problems. However, unlike other such cases, where usually overweight baggage is involved, the reason was something else. Or to put it more precisely, the reason was ‘someone’ else. The aircraft flying from Tokyo and Osakato to Amami Oshima, ended up adding an additional flight after finding out that some of their passengers weighed more than usual, putting the originally scheduled flights at risk due to their capacities. The passengers in question were none other than some of the heaviest men that Japan proudly has- sumo wrestlers.
The incident took place last week when the sumo rikishis were on their way to a sports festival, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper. After learning about the heavyweight rikishis boarding the flight, the Japan Airlines (JAP) was reportedly involved as it assisted 27 wrestlers. The wrestlers, as per the newspaper, were heavier than the 70kg average.
“It is extremely unusual for us to operate special flights due to the weight restrictions on this aircraft,” a JAL spokesperson was quoted as saying to the Minami-Nippon Shimbun newspaper. According to the reports, the same was followed for the return trip of the heavyweight passengers.
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Originating from Japan, Sumo is a form of wrestling where a Sumo wrestler or rikishi tries to make his opponent either touch the ground or leave the ring where the match is conducted. The competitive full-contact wrestling is extremely popular all over the globe, while sumo wrestlers are known for their intense appearance and heavy diet. A rikishi can even weigh almost 150 kilograms by consuming up to 20,000 calories per day.