(CNN) — While Singapore and Doha’s airports compete against each other for the title of “world’s best,” another aviation hub is focusing on a different achievement. Japan’s Kansai International Airport (KIX) is marking 30 years without losing a single piece of luggage.
In a press statement, Japan’s seventh busiest airport said that it had not lost any passenger bags since opening in September 1994. The airport averages 20-30 million passengers per year.
While airline passengers are probably happy to know their luggage will arrive at their destination with them, there’s one group of people who aren’t making a big deal out of the achievement: airport staff.
“We don’t feel like we have been doing something special,” Kenji Takanishi, a public relations officer for Kansai, told CNN.
“We have been working as we normally do. We only do our work on a daily basis and we are recognized for it. We are certainly happy to receive the award. I think our staff, especially those working on the ground, feel more pleased.”
Skytrax, a UK-based aviation ranking and rating website, recognized Kansai as having the world’s best airport baggage delivery in awards given out in April.
It’s worth noting that according to the airport, their baggage handlers and ground staff have never lost a bag. But if one did get lost on the way to or from KIX, it could be the fault of the individual airline, not the airport itself.
Kansai, built on an artificial island in Osaka Bay, serves the Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe regions. For 2024, Kansai was ranked the 18th best airport in the world overall, behind its neighbors in Tokyo, Narita (fifth place) and Haneda (fourth).
Timely baggage arrival is just one of the factors looked at when naming a “world’s best” airport. Food and drink offerings, percentage of on-time arrivals and departures, and cleanliness are also considered.
Currently, Kansai is going through upgrading efforts to get ready for Expo 2025 (formerly known as the World’s Fair), which will take place in Osaka.
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