Tortoise rescued from Tokyo-area airport runway

Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Flights at a Tokyo-area airport were delayed for about 15 minutes when a tortoise was spotted wandering on the runway.

Administrators at Narita Airport said a pilot preparing for takeoff on Runway A alerted air control that there was an approximately 1-foot tortoise on the tarmac.

The animal's presence caused delays for five flights, including an All Nippon Airways plane decked out in sea turtle livery for flights to and from Hawaii.

"In Hawaii, sea turtles are seen as bringing good luck, and we hope this turtle that came to see the flight off signals a bright future," All Nippon Airways said in a statement provided to The Mainichi.

Animal rescuers captured the tortoise in a net and returned the reptile to the airport's retention pond, about 328 feet from the runway.