Lufthansa Finds Missing Oscar Statuette, Opens Internal Investigation

Overview

• Lufthansa, which confirmed Friday it had found the award in Frankfurt, apologized and said it is arranging its return to Pavel Talankin.
• Talankin was told Wednesday by TSA officers at New York’s JFK to check the 3.8 kg trophy as a potential weapon, and it then disappeared from the aircraft hold.
• The airline says the statuette is secure in its custody in Frankfurt, and it has launched an internal review to determine how it went missing.
• The TSA has not issued a public comment on the screening call, which Talankin called incomprehensible after at least a dozen prior flights carrying the award.
• Co-director David Borenstein questioned in an Instagram post whether fame or fluent English would have changed the treatment, as the Oscar honors their film on pro-war indoctrination in Russian schools and could prompt reviews of how agencies and airlines handle prized items.