Kansai International Airport (KIX) near Osaka, Japan has reported a feat other international airports can only dream of: Since the airport opened in September 1994, it has not lost a single piece of passenger luggage.
No wonder the airport has gained an unrivaled international reputation for reliability and operational efficiency, writes Aerotime.
According to SITA, an aviation-related IT system developer based in Switzerland, the world’s airlines mishandled an average of 7.6 pieces of baggage per 1,000 passengers in 2022.
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Baggage loss usually occurs through a small number of critical points along the baggage handling chain. This can range from staff failing to load bags at the departure airport, to errors in the baggage transfer at connecting airports.
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In 30 years, not a single passenger has experienced not getting their luggage at Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan. Photo: Dreamstime
10 million objects
However, Kansai Airport seems to have avoided such problems during its nearly 30 years of existence.
The airport handled around 10 million pieces of luggage in 2023. The airport’s luggage success is the result of several layers of control work, according to the airport authority.
Only two or three employees are responsible for each flight’s baggage, meaning there is less human intervention in the process and more employee ownership of these items of baggage on their journey through the airport.
– It is important for several employees to share information to prevent errors arising from incorrect assumptions, says Tsuyoshi Habuta, who oversees baggage operations at the airport’s primary baggage handling company CKTS, in a conversation with Nikkei Asia.
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At Kansai International Airport (KIX) in Japan, as few people as possible should be involved in baggage handling. It helps make one of the world’s most important airports also one of the world’s best. Photo: Dreamstime
Japanese precision
Habuta explains the baggage routines as follows:
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- Upon arrival of an aircraft, if the number of baggage items unloaded differs from the number loaded at the airport of origin, CKTS personnel immediately inspect the hold of the aircraft, in addition to the area around where the aircraft is parked, and the airport’s baggage sorting area.
- In addition, the airport promotes, through CKTS, a goal of having every piece of luggage from every arriving flight to the baggage area within 15 minutes of a flight’s arrival, to keep passenger stress to a minimum.
- CKTS staff are trained to place suitcases on conveyor belts with the handles facing outwards towards passengers to save them time and reduce inconvenience.
- The employees are also instructed to wipe down all suitcases that may get wet in the rain.
- Any damaged items such as musical instruments or prams must be personally handed over to the passenger by the employee.
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In September 2018, a typhoon forced thousands of air passengers to spend the night at Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan. Even that didn’t manage to create a mess for the baggage handling. Perhaps a taste of the public handling for next year’s EXPO 2025.. Photo: JIJI PRESS / AFP / NTB
Expo 2025 Challenges
In the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2024, Kansai Airport was named the world’s best airport for baggage delivery. It is the eighth time the airport has won this prestigious award.
But the airport faces challenges: Expo 2025 will be held in Osaka.
Between April and October next year, 3.5 million foreign visitors are expected to the city.
The airport itself is expected to handle 37.33 million passengers during the year. This figure is a huge increase from “only” 14 million in 2023.
During this time, the world will see if Kansai can live up to its reputation as one of the world’s best-run airports and maintain its 100% baggage delivery record.
