Airports in Singapore and Doha are currently competing for title of best airport in the world, but perhaps the real best airport in the world lies further east.
Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan, which is built on water has not lost a single item of luggage in more than 30 years.
In a statement, Japan’s seventh busiest airport said that it had not lost any passenger bags since opening in September 1994, despite averaging between 20 and 30 million passengers a year.
But despite how impressive their luggage record is, staff say it is nothing to boast about.
Kenji Takanishi, a public relations officer for Kansai said: ““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 recognized for it. We are certainly happy to receive the award. I think our staff, especially those working on the ground, feel more pleased.”
But passengers who have travelled through it say is “the best airport in the world”.
One Tripadvisor review read: “Osaka Kansai is one of the best airport in the world. It’s extremely clean and modern. Staff are polite and friendly. It’s very convenient to travel around Japan from Kansai as I took a train to and from Kyoto.
“Also, restaurants at the airport were good, and not expensive like any other airport restaurants.”
Another added: “The airport provides a free Shuttle service. The KIX observation deck is the best of the 150 airports in the world where I’ve been. Its unique “feature” is that it is located at the beginning of the runway, where the aircraft taxied to take off.”
And it is not only passenger who have recognised its success, with Skytrax, a UK-based aviation ranking and rating website, naming Kansai as having the world’s best airport baggage delivery in awards given out in April.
For 2024, Kansai was ranked the 18th best airport in the world overall by the site, behind its neighbours in Tokyo, Narita (5th place) and Haneda (4th).
