Turtle on runway halts multiple flights in Japan

A turtle held up dozens of passengers and flight crews at an airport in Japan after taking its sweet time while attempting to cross the tarmac.

Air traffic control ordered all flights to pause while staff safely captured the turtle and swept the 4,000-meter-long (roughly 13,100 feet) runway for any other anomalies, prompting further delay, according to local reports.

Ironically, planes halted by the wayward terrapin included an All Nippon Airways Airbus A380 on its way to Okinawa, which happens to be decorated with blue sea turtles, as part of a recent campaign to celebrate the airline’s service to Hawaii, where the semi-aquatic creatures are revered and protected.