Japan Airlines was forced to add an extra flight after fears sumo wrestler passengers would make their planes too heavy, sources say.
A group of sumo wrestlers were set to board two different flights when the airline calculated that they weighted around 275 pounds each — which is far above their average passenger weight of 154 pounds, according to Sky News.
They had been on their way to a competition on the island of Amami Oshima in the south of Japan, CNN said. One flight was leaving from Haneda airport in Tokyo on Thursday, and the other from Itami Airport in Osaka.
Japan Airlines added an extra flight from Tokyo to accommodate the sumo wrestlers. It flew from Tokyo with 27 passengers, including 14 who had been transferred there from the Osaka location, Sky News said.
An airline spokesperson told local newspaper Minami-Nippon Shimbun that it was "extremely rare for us to operate special flights" for weight restrictions, Sky News said.
The airline also added a special return flight for the sumo wrestler group.
