A passenger on Delta Air Lines alerted the airline crew that they were carrying a firearm after it had passed airport security and was heading to Narita International Airport in Tokyo, Japan.
The Transportation Security Administration acknowledged in a statement that security procedures were not followed at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on January 2.
“Upon the customer’s disclosure, the airline reported the incident to TSA,” a Delta spokesperson told HuffPost.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter
A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.
Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.
Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.
The partial government shutdown, which forced some security staff to call in sick to protest working without pay, did not affect the staffing at the security checkpoint.
“TSA will hold those responsible appropriately accountable,” the agency said.
The announcement of the firearm was not part of a test, and the passenger had forgotten that the firearm was in their carry-on luggage.
Featured Images via Instagram / @klm (Left), @destinationshunter (Right)
