Japan Airlines forced to lay extra plane to transfer sumo wrestlers due to weight concerns

Japan Airlines was recently forced to arrange an extra flight at short notice as its two planes were at risk of surpassing their weight limits.However, the weight was not due to excess luggage but a passenger list of sumo wrestlers.

On Thursday, Japan's flagship carrier transferred several sumo wrestlers to a hastily arranged flight over concerns about the two aircraft's weight restrictions. They concluded that the planes couldn't carry sufficient fuel with the same number of passengers, The Guardian reported.

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Japan Airlines scheduled a Boeing 737-800 to take several sumo wrestlers from Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Itami Airport in Osaka to Amamo Oshmi, an island in the far south, for a sports festival, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported.

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However, the staff learned after boarding that the passengers included sumo wrestlers, who have an estimated weight of 120 kilogrammes, far more than the 70 kg average.

The Amami airport could not accommodate a bigger aircraft, forcing Japan Airlines to lay an additional aeroplanefor 27 wrestlers, including 14 who had to fly from Itami to Haneda to board another flight.

"It is extremely unusual for us to operate special flights due to the weight restrictions on this aircraft," a JAL spokesperson told the regional newspaper the Minami-Nippon Shimbun. The airlinealso laid additional flights to take the sumo wrestlers home after the tournament ended on Sunday.

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However, it is not the first time the sumo fraternity has made headlines for a similar reason. In 2014, a picture of sumo wrestlers packed onto a small passenger plane went viral. Later, the men from the Hakkaku stable in Tokyo clicked themselves as they were stuffed together on a bus on their way to a summer training camp.

Since there are no weight divisions like in wrestling or boxing, sumo is a unique sport where competitors are encouraged to gain weight rather than lose it. Sumo wrestlers may be of any weight. Mainoumi, who competed in the top division in the 1990s, was around the same size as England rugby captain Owen Farrell. But larger guys dominate the historical sport. The biggest rikishi of all time, Rora, a Russian-born fighter who retired in 2018, peaked at 292.6 kg.

(With inputs from agencies)

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