The £15billion airport built on an island that hasn’t lost a single piece of luggage for 30 years
AN airport in Japan can be considered as the safest in the world – at least for items of luggage.
Research carried out by Skytrax, a company that rates air transport, revealed the world’s best airports earlier this month.
While Hamad International Airport in Doha was named the best airport in the world, there were plenty of other winners, including Kansai International Airport.
The enormous £15billion airport occupies two artificial islands in Osaka Bay and serves as a hub for Asian airlines including All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, and Nippon Cargo Airlines.
It’s the eighth time Kansai International Airport has nabbed the top spot, with factors like baggage pickup, efficiency of baggage delivery and lost baggage all contributing to the win.
The airport is also marking 30 years without losing a single piece of luggage.
According to CNN Travel, the Japanese airport hasn’t lost any passengers bags since it opened in September 1994 – despite seeing 20-30million passengers every year.
Kenji Takanishi, a spokesperson for Kansai International Airport told CNN: “We don’t feel like we have been doing something special.
“We have been working as we normally do. We only do our work on a daily basis and we are recognised for it.
“We are certainly happy to receive the award. I think our staff, especially those working on the ground, feel more pleased.”
Located on an artificial island in Osaka Bay, Kansai International Airport opened in 1994 to handle Osaka’s growing air traffic.
The man-made island was specifically built to accommodate the airport, adhering to local earthquake and tsunami safety regulations.
It is connected to the mainland by a two-level bridge that can accommodate both road and rail traffic.
And Kansai International Airport wasn’t the only airport to win an award this year, with Hamad International Airport in Doha being named the world’s best.
The world’s best airport
It took the top spot thanks to features like a huge indoor garden and 65 retail and dining venues.
The airport, which is operated by Qatar Airways, first opened in 2014 and is Qatar Airways main aviation hub.
Hamad International Airport underwent a huge expansion in 2022, with features like The Orchard – a huge indoor garden – opening as a result.
The indoor tropical garden is home to over 300 trees and 25,000 plants from sustainable forests.
Installed as part of a green initiative, The Orchard has become a popular attraction in the airport for holidaymakers to visit thanks to its winding walkways.
Meanwhile, Singapore Changi Airport, which was number one last year, dropped down to second place.
Last year, Singapore Changi Airport was named the best in the world following a huge three-year renovation.
The airport is known for having a large indoor waterfall, a huge cinema and a sports arena.
Also in the top 10 were Seoul Incheon Airport, Tokyo Haneda Airport, Tokyo Narita Airport, Paris CDG Airport, Dubai Airport, Munich Airport, Zurich Airport and Istanbul Airport.
How to keep luggage safe when travelling
There's nothing worse than the agonising wait at the baggage reclaim - especially when your suitcase never appears. Follow our tips to keep your bags safe the next time you fly.
- A luggage tag can help to keep suitcases safe during a long flight because it contains contact details, so if the bag does become misplaced it can be returned.
- Include contact details inside the suitcase too, just in case tags go missing on the outside.
- Use a brightly-coloured suitcase that stands out against the more commonly-used dark colours. Last summer, Frankfurt Airport boss Stefan Schulte warned travellers to avoid black suitcases as they’re hard to distinguish from one another.
- Place GPS trackers like AirTags into checked luggage, so suitcases can be lost when travelling.
- Take photos of suitcases, so they can be identified if they do go missing.
If you can’t quite go as far as Doha, a huge £7billion airport could soon open in Europe, with hopes to start flights from 2028.
Warsaw Solidarity Airport, also known as Central Communication Port, hopes to start construction by the end of the year, and could rival Heathrow and Dubai for long haul flights.