Osaka: Kansai Airport Proud to Have Never Lost Single Piece of Luggage;‘World’s Best Airport for Baggage Delivery’

The Yomiuri Shimbun

10:40 JST, December 28, 2024

IZUMI-SANO, Osaka — Kansai Airport is proud to have never had a lost baggage incident in the 30 years since it opened in 1994, earning recognition as the airport with the world’s best baggage service.

Lost baggage is when a passenger’s baggage is lost or goes missing due to an error on the part of the airport.

Kansai Airport was awarded the title of “World’s Best Airport for Baggage Delivery” in the baggage handling category of the World Airport Awards 2024, an international airport evaluation conducted by a U.K.-based international aviation rating organization.

This is the eighth time it has received the award.

During peak periods, Kansai Airport handles up to 30,000 pieces of checked baggage daily. The baggage is sorted by destination and transported on a conveyor belt. In addition to monitoring bags with sensors, employees also patrol the area to check for dropped bags. According to the airport management company, this additional step significantly reduces the risk of lost baggage.

The airport has a good reputation among overseas passengers when it comes to baggage.

In early December, a 35-year-old passenger from Tanzania was impressed to see that all the handles of the suitcases on the conveyor belt in the baggage claim area were facing the passengers.

After the luggage is unloaded and collected in the cargo handling area upon arrival at the airport, ground support personnel manually align the handles of the bags and place them on the conveyor belt.

On the other hand, the airport is facing a shortage of staff while the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo is expected to bring an increase in the number of passengers at the airport.

“We want to improve our efficiency by upgrading our systems,” a Kansai Airport official said.