There’s much to be anxious about while traveling: delays, bad weather, long lines, and, perhaps worst of all, lost luggage. At Kansai International Airport, however, your bags are almost guaranteed to be safe. Since opening in September 1994, the airport has apparently never lost a piece of luggage, even though it’s one of two airports servicing Osaka, Japan’s third-largest city. It’s an impressive feat, especially considering that, in the U.S., domestic flights lose about 3 million bags every year, according to the Bureau of Transportation.
Kansai International Airport estimates that it serves 28 million passengers a year and handled about 10 million baggage items during the 2023 fiscal year. For its annual World Airport Awards, Skytrax, a U.K.-based aviation research company, has named Kansai International as the world’s best for baggage delivery—eight times. It’s clear that the airport has more than earned its reputation for reliability, but how has it managed to maintain its stellar luggage streak for over 30 years?
“We believe that the record of having no baggage lost since the opening of the airport is the result of the daily efforts and careful work of everyone involved, including airlines and handling companies,” the airport wrote in a statement, originally released in 2024.
Those “daily efforts” unfold across a meticulous and multilayered system, involving multiple staffers and multiple checks. In a major profile on the airport, Nikkei Asia describes the process, where staff members consistently verify if the number of bags on arrival matches the number recorded on departure, and then promptly search to find the item, whether it be in the plane’s cargo hold or the sorting room. The airport also aims to deliver all items to baggage claim within 15 minutes of arrival. Per a manager for one of the airport’s operators, CKTS, there’s also a manual describing rules specific to each airline.
On April 13, 2025, the World Expo kicked off in Osaka, which is expected to attract more than 20 million visitors to the bustling city. That means, of course, that there will also be a greater number of bags to keep tabs on.
“We are expecting a lot of growth of passengers,” Tsuyoshi Habuta, who oversees baggage operations for one of the handling companies at Kansai, told NPR last year. “We want the airport to be an exciting, active, vitalized place for everyone to come and use.”
To learn more, visit the Kansai International Airport website.
Since opening in September 1994, Kansai International Airport has apparently never lost a piece of luggage.
The airport has accomplished this through a multilayered system, involving multiple staffers meticulously checking luggage multiple times.
Kansai International Airport: Website
Sources: As the US braces for another summer of travel chaos, this Japanese airport hasn’t lost a single bag in its 30-year history; This airport has never lost a bag. For one chief handler, it’s all about respect; Japan’s Kansai Airport World Record—No Luggage Lost In 30 Years
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