German airline Lufthansa has issued a formal apology to Russian filmmaker Pavel Talankin after his Oscar statuette was temporarily lost during a transport incident involving the airline.
According to reports, the situation began at New York’s JFK Airport on Wednesday, when airport security staff stopped Talankin from carrying the Oscar aboard a Lufthansa flight. Officials reportedly argued that the statuette could potentially be used as a weapon, and as a result, he was required to place it in checked luggage instead of taking it into the cabin.
After Talankin arrived in Germany, he discovered that the award was missing from his belongings. The disappearance prompted an intensive search effort by Lufthansa. The airline later confirmed on Friday that the statuette had been located in Frankfurt, though it did not provide further details about how it went missing or the exact circumstances of where it was found.
Talankin, who received the Academy Award for his documentary film “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” was left without the physical award for a short period before it was recovered. Lufthansa has since apologized for the incident, acknowledging the inconvenience caused during the handling of the valuable and symbolic item.
