Thousands of items lost at Chennai airport, most never reclaimed despite new efforts

From a damaged pair of gold earrings to a black waist belt, currency notes, and a women’s silver-strap watch, the lost-and-found shelves at Chennai airport tell a quiet story of forgetfulness and haste. These items—misplaced, forgotten, or even intentionally left behind—are now securely stored by the Airport Authority of India’s (AAI) Materials Management Department, just beside the T1 domestic terminal.

Every item is tagged with a unique number and listed on the AAI website’s lost-and-found section, yet only a fraction of passengers ever return to claim their belongings. In 2023, of the 17,769 logged items, only 5,275 were reclaimed. In 2024, the numbers rose to 21,770 logged items—but only 5,744 found their way back to their rightful owners.

Bags, unsurprisingly, top the list—over 5,000 bags and trolleys, mostly filled with clothes and daily-use items, are in storage. They’re followed by 3,000 mobile phones, 2,500 wallets, and hundreds of keys, with 10 laptops also lying unclaimed.

Security staff and workers turn in found items to airport managers. If unclaimed for three days, they are sent to the materials department. Gold items, the most sensitive, are evaluated by certified valuers and stored securely. In 2024, ₹51 lakh worth of unclaimed gold was auctioned on the MSTC portal.

While efforts are intensifying—with QR codes helping passengers locate the department via Google Maps and passports now being returned to passport kendras—officials stress this isn’t about revenue.

“We want items to return to their owners. There’s no fee for claiming lost items here—unlike many private airports,” said an AAI official.